256 Bag First Class As 4,212 Students Graduate From FUTA

A total of 256 graduating students of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), will be awarded first degrees during the forthcoming 37th graduation ceremony of the institution.

The vice-chancellor, Prof. Adenike Oladiji, who disclosed this on Friday during a press briefing ahead of the institution’s 37th convocation ceremony, said 4,212 graduands were expected to receive various degrees.

Oladiji said the university would award 3,039 first degrees and 1,173 postgraduate degrees.

According to him, the institution is strengthening entrepreneurship education, practical training and research-driven innovation to produce graduates capable of creating jobs rather than depending solely on available employment opportunities.

Oladiji said the university was conscious of the changing employment landscape and the need to equip graduates with relevant skills to compete in an economy increasingly shaped by technology, innovation and emerging industries.

‎‎She said FUTA’s approach went beyond the award of academic certificates, noting that entrepreneurship education, practical training, research exposure and innovation-driven learning remained central to its efforts to develop creative thinkers and potential employers of labour.

‎‎”Our ambition is to produce graduates who can contribute to existing industries while also creating new opportunities in technology, agriculture, manufacturing, environmental management, digital services and other critical sectors of the economy,” she said.

‎‎The vice-chancellor explained that the university was also working to bridge the gap between academic research and commercial opportunities by creating pathways for promising ideas to be developed, protected and translated into products and services.

‎‎According to her, the university’s research initiatives are also producing practical solutions with economic and social benefits, including a cassava-based bioethanol production facility established in partnership with PICTT and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), with prospects for job creation and industrial development.

‎‎Oladiji also highlighted the transformation of an abandoned greenhouse into a research and commercial agricultural facility, which has expanded from one to 13 greenhouses producing bell and habanero peppers.

‎‎She said the university was equally encouraging students to develop solutions to real-life challenges, citing the achievement of its Biomedical Engineering students who developed a prosthetic solution that enabled an amputee who had lost a leg for over 13 years to walk again.

‎‎The vice-chancellor added that FUTA students had continued to distinguish themselves in innovation and technology competitions, including Kelvin Nnadi of Biomedical Engineering, who won the 2026 Wema Bank National Hackathon grand prize of N30 million with his healthcare robotics innovation, Neural Forge.

‎She said the achievements reflected the university’s determination to ensure that research and classroom knowledge translated into solutions that could address societal needs and create economic opportunities.

‎‎Oladiji said the institution would continue to strengthen partnerships with industry players, research institutions and other stakeholders to improve students’ exposure to practical skills, funding opportunities and enterprise development.‎