KWASU Convocates 16,315 Students, Celebrates First Electric Bus Conversion

The Kwara State University (KWASU) is celebrating its combined 10th and 11th convocation with a total of 183 students graduating with First Class degrees. The ceremony will be held on Saturday and will see 16,315 students graduating from both the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 academic sessions.

The combined convocation will celebrate the achievements of students from two academic sessions: 11,096 graduates in first degrees and 767 in higher degrees in the 2021/2022 session, while 4,107 graduates in first degrees and 345 in higher degrees in the 2022/2023 session. Of these, 183 graduated with First Class; 5,145 with Second Class Upper Division; 8,420 with Second Class Lower Division; and 1,455 with Third Class.

In addition to the academic achievements, the university’s engineering team has made a significant contribution towards environmental sustainability. They have successfully converted a petroleum-engine bus into one powered by electricity. This achievement comes at a crucial time, following the recent removal of petroleum subsidies.

Professor Shaykh-Luqman Jimoh, the acting vice chancellor of the university, announced these achievements during a pre-convocation press conference held on Tuesday. He stated that the conversion of the bus is a major accomplishment, not just for the university’s Green Initiative, but also for its commitment to solving environmental issues and promoting sustainability.

Jimoh further revealed that the engineering team has converted three vehicles in total: a sedan, a Hilux pickup truck, and the 22-seater Coaster bus. He added that investors have already begun expressing interest in this technology.

“With this success, the institution has been placed in the lead of rethinking its environmental culture and developing new paradigms for solving problems and ensuring global environmental sustainability.

“We consider it a major achievement, not just for our Green Initiative, but for our determination to add value to the economy of the state and her populace.

“This initiative ensures higher efficiency in powering automobiles, helps our environment to be less polluted and has attracted partnerships with the Kwara State Government and private institutions,” he added.

He encouraged the state government and individuals with scrap vehicles to consider having them converted to electric vehicles at a reasonable cost.