The combined 29th and 30th Convocation of Lagos State University (LASU) has ended on a remarkable note, with ₦600 million pledged for a female students’ hostel, employment opportunities announced for outstanding graduates and ₦40 million in cash rewards presented to the institution’s two best graduating students.
The ceremony, which celebrated 20,604 graduates and 494 first-class achievers, also showcased the University’s expanding footprint in infrastructure, research, innovation, technology and global partnerships.
At the centre of the celebration was Africa’s foremost industrialist, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, GCON, who was conferred with an Honorary Doctor of Business (Honoris Causa) in Entrepreneurship, Industrial and Human Capital Development.
Represented by his daughter, Hajia Fatima Aliko Dangote, the industrialist pledged ₦600 million through the Aliko Dangote Foundation for the construction of a hostel for female students.
In another major intervention, Hajia Fatima announced that first-class graduates in Engineering and Sciences would receive preferential consideration for employment with the Dangote Group after their NYSC programme.
The announcement transformed the honorary recognition into a practical opportunity for the graduating class, linking academic excellence directly with employment and industrial development.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu equally put substance behind his celebration of excellence, rewarding the two best graduating students of the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 academic sessions with ₦20 million each.
Beyond the monetary rewards, the Governor challenged the graduates to understand that academic certificates alone would not define their success.
With 20,604 graduates emerging from the two academic sessions, LASU once again demonstrated its scale and growing importance within Nigeria’s higher education landscape.
Among the outstanding students were Lawal Ayilara, who achieved a 4.96 CGPA in Project Management, and Samuel Oluolamide Adebanjo, who recorded an exceptional 4.97 CGPA in Aerospace Engineering.
Governor Sanwo-Olu used his final convocation as Visitor to reflect on his administration’s legacy at LASU, pointing to new lecture theatres, halls, student accommodation, the Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu Library Complex and other infrastructure projects.
Student accommodation has risen to about 8,000 beds, while more than 50 infrastructure projects have been delivered through various funding sources.
The Governor also highlighted the expansion of Lagos State’s university system from one institution to three, alongside efforts to make tertiary education more accessible.
For the outgoing Vice-Chancellor, Distinguished Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, the ceremony represented both celebration and farewell.
After five years at the helm, she presented a record of what she described as a University of “proven excellence”, citing improvements in accreditation, research, digital transformation, infrastructure, welfare and financial sustainability.
LASU’s internally generated revenue, according to her, grew from about ₦3 billion in September 2021 to ₦13 billion by September 2025, while student accommodation expanded to 8,000 beds.
The Chancellor, Oba Dr Olufolarin Olukayode Ogunsanwo, Telade IV, also became part of the graduating class, receiving a Doctor of Business Administration from LASU.
He urged the new scholars to move beyond consuming knowledge and become creators of solutions, particularly in artificial intelligence, robotics, cybersecurity and other fields critical to Nigeria’s future.
LASU’s receipt of the ₦3 billion TETFund Centre of Excellence grant in Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Cyber Sciences was cited as another indication of the University’s growing relevance to emerging technologies.
The convocation also honoured Akin Kekere-Ekun, Harriet-Ann Omobolanle (Bola) Adesola and Aliko Dangote for their contributions to leadership, corporate governance, industrialisation, education and human-capital development.
Kekere-Ekun urged graduates to replace complacency with discipline and punctuality, while Adesola championed women’s empowerment and stronger investment in Nigeria’s human capital.
Adding another historic dimension to the ceremonies, LASU’s Epe Campus hosted a convocation for the first time, with graduates from Engineering and Agricultural Sciences taking part.
From Dangote’s ₦600 million hostel commitment to the prospect of jobs for first-class graduates, from Sanwo-Olu’s ₦40 million academic reward to the University’s reported advances in research, infrastructure and revenue generation, LASU’s 29th and 30th Convocation will be remembered as a celebration of excellence, opportunity and institutional transformation.
