From Victor Akinkuolie, Ado-Ekiti

No fewer than 22 students will be graduating with first class in Medicine, while another 21 will also be graduating with first class in Law during the 10th combined convocation ceremony of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Smaranda Olarinde, disclosed this while addressing a press conference heralding the  convocation and the 12th-anniversary ceremony of the institution.

The Vice-Chancellor said out of the 1,673 students expected to graduate, 121 students will be graduating with First Class in all the six Colleges in the university.

While 225 students will be awarded postgraduate degrees, 1448 will receive bachelor’s degrees in various disciplines.

The Vice-Chancellor added that 666 students would graduate in the Second Class Upper division, 489 in the Second Class Lower division, and 70 in Third Class.

She also added that the school would confer honorary doctorate degrees on former Ekiti State Governor Segun Oni, a Human Rights and Constitutional Lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, SAN and the Sheu of Borno, Alhaji Garba El-Kanemi in recognition of their impacts on the society.

Smaranda said that the three eminent personalities were selected in compliance with the famous 2012 Keffi Declaration after a thorough, rigorous, and merit-based selection process.

She explained that Oni was selected for the honorary degree in appreciation of his famous role in establishing the institution 12 years ago.

“His Royal Majesty, Alhaji El-kanemi, deserves the award because of his unbending commitment to functional education and his incurable pursuit of peace in a theatre of war.

“On his part, Mike Ozekhome is being honoured for his contributions to the enthronement of a conducive environment for sustenance of human rights, democracy, good governance and the rule of law,” he added.