By Daniel Kudayah
The University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) is set to graduate 16,152 students at its 41st convocation ceremony, while another 8,320 students have benefited from training in 21st-century skills aimed at improving their employability and preparing them for self-employment.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Wahab Egbewole, SAN, disclosed this on Monday at a press briefing ahead of the convocation ceremonies, describing the figures as evidence of the university’s commitment to academic excellence, innovation and skills development.
In his address, titled “From Legacy to Impact,” Egbewole said the graduands comprised students receiving first degrees, higher degrees, diplomas and other academic qualifications for the 2025/2026 academic session.
He said 11,213 of the graduands would receive first degrees, comprising 365 First Class, 4,367 Second Class Upper Division, 5,102 Second Class Lower Division, 1,006 Third Class and 30 Pass graduates.
The university would also graduate students from professional programmes, including 19 in Medicine and Surgery, 89 in Nursing, 73 in Pharmacy, 41 in Optometry, 89 in Physiotherapy and 32 in Veterinary Medicine.
Egbewole added that 4,939 students would receive higher degrees and diplomas, comprising 160 postgraduate diplomas, 901 master’s degrees, 114 professional master’s degrees, two Master of Philosophy degrees and 251 Doctor of Philosophy degrees.
He said another 3,511 students would graduate through the university’s Centre for Affiliated Institutions.
Beyond conventional academic qualifications, the vice-chancellor disclosed that 8,320 students had completed the university’s U-INSPIRE programme, which provides additional skills to complement their academic qualifications.
According to him, the programme was developed by the university and delivered in partnership with 10 industry partners to prepare students for emerging opportunities and changing workplace demands.
He also disclosed that Toyibah Abiodun Abdullateef, a student of the Department of Science Education and member of the 2026 U-INSPIRE graduating cohort, designed the logo for the 41st convocation ceremonies.
Egbewole said the achievements reflected the collective contributions of the university’s academic and non-academic staff, students, parents, guardians and other stakeholders.
He noted that the 2025/2026 academic session, which began on September 25, 2025, ended successfully on September 18, 2026.
Highlighting the university’s achievements during the session, the vice-chancellor said UNILORIN received a ₦25 million award from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board at the sixth National Tertiary Admissions Performance-Merit Award in recognition of its compliance with admission regulations.
He also announced that the institution secured full accreditation for 11 academic programmes following an exercise conducted by the National Universities Commission in November 2025.
In addition, the university received a ₦1 billion Tertiary Education Trust Fund intervention for equipment upgrades in its Faculty of Engineering and Technology.
Speaking on the institution’s future, Egbewole urged stakeholders to sustain the progress recorded under his administration as the university pursues its Vision 1:10:500 aspiration of becoming Nigeria’s number-one university, ranking among Africa’s top 10 and entering the world’s top 500 universities.
“These ambitions require continuity of purpose, evidence-led decisions, responsible stewardship of resources and a collective willingness to keep improving,” he said.
He described the 41st convocation as an opportunity to celebrate academic achievements, assess the university’s progress over the past four years and prepare the ground for the next administration.
“The 41st Convocation is more than a celebration of academic accomplishments. It is also an opportunity to take stock of the progress made over the past four years, which has greatly impacted our society, and to pass the legacy to the next administration,” he said.
