519 Bag First Class As FUTA Graduates 6,405 Students

A total of 519 students of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) from 6,405 will graduate with first class at the forthcoming 34th and 35th convocation of the institution.

The vice chancellor of the university, Prof Adenike Oladiji, revealed this yesterday while briefing journalists about the combined convocation of the institution, affirming that graduates from Nigerian Universities are employable.

Oladiji, who emphasised that graduates of the country’s universities were doing well outside the country, said it would have been difficult for them to be leading their counterparts from other countries if the graduates were unemployable.

“Nigerian graduates are employable. The problem we have is that somebody somewhere just sat down and said something and we all believed such a statement. It is a lie.

“Why are they leading other graduates from other countries when they get outside? Nigeria graduates are doing well and the best everywhere. Our graduates are employable. But the question is where are the jobs? In FUTA, all the graduates here are employable,” she stated.

Dwelling on the convocation, Oladiji said that no fewer than 519 students of the institution have emerged as first-class graduates among the 6,405 students set to graduate from the institution for a combined 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 academic session.

Among them, 4,591 are male, while 1,814 are female.

Giving the breakdown of the class of the graduating students, the don disclosed that “out of the total number, 519 students have first class, 3,408 have second class honours (upper division), 2,139 students finished with second class honours (lower division) and 339 third class.”

The VC said they will also confer Post Graduate Diploma, Master and Doctoral degrees on 960 graduates.

Oladiji further informed that the university, after due consideration, has decided to approve the appointment of three senior academics who had retired from the university as professors emeriti.

“The distinguished academics are Prof Adebisi Balogun, Prof Emmanuel Olusegun Laseinde and Prof Labunmi Lajide,” she said.

The VC hinted that the convocation lecture, titled “Technology Innovation: A Panacea to Food Insecurity,” would be delivered by the minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.