Olanipekun, Dabiri-Erewa For ABUAD Award As 229 Graduates Get First Class

Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, ABUAD) is to honour three eminent Nigerians as the institution is set to hold its 16th convocation ceremony.

The university’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Smaranda Olarinde, disclosed this on Tuesday during her press conference, heralding the 16th convocation ceremonies of the institution: 229 of the 1,841 students will graduate with first class.

Olarinde said the three deserving Nigerians will be conferred with the university’s honorary degrees during the grand finale of the convocation on Tuesday, October 21, 2025.

The honourees are a renowned legal practitioner and 20th President of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN, Doctor of Letters, Honoris Causa, Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Dr Abike Dabiri ( Doctor of Letters, Honoris Causa), and business mogul Princess (Dr) Mrs Rosemary Osula Mku-Atu.

The VC explained why they were selected to be honoured: “It is based on their proven integrity, character, exceptional and distinguished lifetime contributions to society, and appreciation of the various ways they have impacted society in different areas of their callings.”

Olarinde said Chief Wole Olanipekun (san) would deliver the convocation lecture “Nigeria—Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow; The Imperative of a Sober and Definitive Recalibration” on Monday, October 20.

The VC, who said that ABUAD had cumulatively graduated 15,115 students since its maiden convocation in October 2013, said, “A total of 1,841 students will be officially conferred with various degrees during the 16th convocation ceremonies”

She said that 229 students bagged First Class, 625 got Second Class Upper, 262 got Second Class Lower, 194 students bagged Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, and 10 students bagged Bachelor of Optometry.

She called on the government to prioritise fixing Ado-Ijan-Ikare Federal Road, which she said serves as a primary access route to the university but remains deplorable.

“I once again appeal, as I did last year, that this road be urgently rehabilitated, reconstructed and fixed. The road should be treated as a priority. ABUAD hosts students from 36 states of the federation and international students; the route is a central link road to the airport, Ondo state, and Abuja, FCT.

The Professor of law congratulated the Ekiti state government on the approval granted by the NCAA to the state’s cargo airport for the commencement of scheduled (commercial) flights and charged the government to expedite all necessary processes to ensure that full commercial operations commence without delay.