Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole (SAN), has urged graduating students to “take full hold of their futures” and embody the values of discipline, innovation, and integrity as the institution celebrated its 40th Convocation Ceremony on Thursday, October 23, 2025.
Delivering his address titled “Take Hold of Your Future,” Prof. Egbewole charged the 2025 graduands to embrace resilience and lifelong learning, saying the university’s milestone anniversary represents a new era of maturity and readiness for both the institution and its students.
“At 40 years old, a person is traditionally seen as mature and capable of great independence and responsibility. Similarly, as an institution reaching this milestone, we too have reached a stage of strength and readiness,” he said. “You have an undeniable need to set clear goals, develop new skills, and build disciplined habits that will serve as a pedestal to stride forward.”
The Vice-Chancellor celebrated the achievements of outstanding students, including Mr. Sanusi Akanbi Kazeem, who broke the Guinness World Record for the longest mathematics lesson, lasting 31 hours, 42 minutes, and 54 seconds, and Babalola Karimot Abisola and Idris Nahimah Opeyemi of Veterinary Microbiology, who won the $5,500 Global Morris Foundation Scholarship. He also lauded Qudus Aduragbemi of the Food Engineering Department, whose team won €1,200 at the European Youth Empowerment Fund.
“They remind us that local beginnings can lead to global recognition,” Egbewole noted.“
Prof. Egbewole disclosed that 11,886 students bagged first degrees, including 316 First Class, 4,120 Second Class (Upper Division), 5,939 Second Class (Lower Division), and 1,078 Third Class graduates, while 1,520 higher degrees were also awarded, comprising 182 Postgraduate Diplomas, 916 Master’s, 188 Professional Master’s, and 234 PhDs.
He commended the Federal Government for its interventions, noting that nearly 13,000 students benefited from the National Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which provided over ₦1.5 billion in school charges during the 2024/2025 academic session.
