By Babatunde Ayedoju
No fewer than 240 out of 2,747 graduating students of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Ondo State, will be awarded first-class degrees, as the institution holds its 36th convocation ceremony.
The university is thus at the threshold of history as the first public university to produce 240 first-class graduates in one fell swoop.
The Vice Chancellor, Professor Adenike Oladiji, disclosed this on Friday, at a press conference to herald the convocation activities of the university.
She stated that 1,479 students bagged second-class honours (upper division), 912 obtained second-class (lower division), while 116 would be graduating with third-class degrees.
Professor Oladiji further announced that Isaac Aduragbemi Akindunbi, from the Department of Civil Engineering emerged as the Overall Best Graduating Student with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.98 out of 5.0.
The Vice Chancellor also said that 86 students would be conferred with P, 627 would receive Master of Technology postgraduate degrees (PGD), while 154 others would bag PhD.
Oladiji explained that the outstanding performance of the first-class graduates was a result of consistent effort, discipline and the conducive learning environment provided by the university.
“The results we are celebrating today, show that FUTA continues to maintain its standard as one of Nigeria’s foremost universities of technology,” the don remarked.
She revealed that about 3,000 students of the institution are currently benefiting from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), adding that many others are yet to take advantage of the opportunity due to low awareness and misconceptions about studying on credit.
“Talking about NELFUND, the level of awareness by the students is quite low. We are trying to get them to be aware of it. A lot of people think, why should they go to school on credit? So if the number is not huge, it’s not because the government is failing, it is because many people are not applying. As we speak, the Bursar says we have over 3,000 students benefiting from the loan scheme,” she said.
Prof. Oladiji described FUTA as a key player in the global academic arena, maintaining that the institution continues to distinguish itself as one of the country’s leading centres of excellence, where cutting-edge research and product development addressing societal needs have become a culture.
“FUTA is firming up its reputation as a leading research-intensive institution and a foremost citadel of excellence in technological education tailored to meet emerging challenges in society and the global arena, particularly in climate and space science, agriculture, engineering, computing, and digital innovation,” she stated.
She added that members of the university’s faculties and students are becoming increasingly relevant globally through their participation in advanced research and innovation, contributing to solutions to food insecurity and other national challenges.