The University of Ibadan, on Monday, November 17, 2025, awarded Doctoral degrees to 487 candidates from various disciplines, with the Faculty of Education topping the list with a total of 137 Doctoral graduands.
This was disclosed in an address by the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kayode Adebowale, at the grand finale of the 77 Foundation Day/Convocation Ceremonies held at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan.
Faculty of Arts came second on the list with 72 graduands, followed by the Faculty of Science which got 58 graduands.
The Doctoral graduands included a senior officer in the Nigeria Police Force, Commissioner of Police (CP) Abayomi Shogunle.
The premier university also conferred deserving honorary degrees on three individuals for their outstanding contributions to higher education in Nigeria.
They included the Chairman of Access Holdings, Barrister Aigboje Ihedero Aig-Imoukhuede; Prof. Philip Ozuah; and the Founder and President, Sequoia Financial Services Limited, Dr Adesola Kazeem Adeduntan.
In his speech at the convocation ceremony, Professor Adebowale charged the graduands to apply the skills they have obtained to solving the multifaceted challenges the nation is currently grappling with.
“I want you to see this as a call to turn your knowledge to expertise and provide the solutions for which the society yearns.
“The worth of a university degree is in the industry, learning and character that the holder of that degree displays on a daily basis from the moment of obtaining it.
“It is also in the humane character expressed by the holder in a world that is aching. That is why we cannot overemphasise the importance of your daily conduct once you step out of this hall today.
“I encourage you to be ethical, humane, and yet courageous in your different professions and fields of endeavours,” Prof. Adebowale stated.
He gave the statistics of those who received the Bachelor’s degrees as 5,900 in various disciplines across faculties, Distance Learning Centre and affiliated institutions, out of who 448 graduated with First Class (Honours).
For those who obtained Master’s degrees, 22 candidates were awarded Master of Philosophy; 2,690 earned academic degree of Master, while 273 candidates were awarded professional Degree of Master.
In addition, 124 postgraduate diplomas were awarded while 73 Master’s students from PAULESI (Pan African University, Life and Earth Sciences Institute, including Health and Agriculture) also graduated.
In his address, while congratulating the graduands on reaching what was described as “significant milestone,” the University’s Chancellor, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, who is the Sultan of Sokoto, encouraged them to remain proud ambassadors of the University of Ibadan wherever life takes them.
The Chancellor said: “I hope you will give back to this great institution, ensuring that the generations after you benefit from the legacy you help build.”
The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council, University of Ibadan Chief Bisi Akande, in his address, suggested “meaningful, honest and sincere adherence to the extant establishment laws, and the rules and regulations of the various universities,” to reduce to the barest minimum the constant misunderstanding between the Federal Government and the staff unions, particularly strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
He called for a review of laws establishing Nigerian Universities in line with global best practices, saying that they should be “strictly adhered to henceforth, with a view to arresting the untold chaos that may eventually otherwise occur.”
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was represented by the Executive Secretary National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Abdullahi Ribadu, reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to a strengthened and uninterrupted education in the nation.
One of the Doctoral graduands, CP Shogunle, encouraged Nigerians to pursue their dreams, assuring them of success in their dedication and hard work.
