AN ADDRESS BY THE VICE-CHANCELLOR, PROFESSOR EYITOPE OGUNBODEDE, OF OBAFEMI AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY, ILE-IFE, OSUN STATE, NIGERIA AT A PRESS CONFERENCE ORGANISED TO FORMALLY HERALD ACTIVITIES MARKING THE 45^TH CONVOCATION AND THE GRAND FINALE OF THE 60^TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNIVERSITY, TODAY, THURSDAY, 2^ND DAY OF DECEMBER, 2021

Protocols

 Gentlemen of the Press, it is our pleasure, as management, to formally welcome you all into the campus of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, for the pre-45^th Convocation Ceremony of our great University.

 This 45^th edition of our University’s’ convocation is very unique in several ways but, because of time, permit me to admit its uniqueness to these:

First, it coincides with the Celebration of 60 years of existence of our University and it will also mark the grand finale of all activities of the silver jubilee of this great citadel of learning.

 Secondly, this 45^th convocation will be the last I would preside over as the sitting Vice-Chancellor because my tenure will successfully come to an end in June of 2022.

 Thirdly, we shall be conferring Honorary Doctorate degree on two highly qualified, distinguished Nigerians whose eminence in their respective endeavours cannot be questioned.  These two dazzling Nigerians are His Imperial Majesty, Ooni of Ife, Ooni Adeyeye Babatunde Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, who will be conferred with the Honorary Doctor of Letters and Chief Michael Ade Ojo, the founder of Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State and Chairman, Elizade Group of Companies would be conferred with the Honorary Doctor of Business Administration.

 Gentlemen of the Press, I am glad to announce to us here that we shall be graduating a total number of Seven Thousand, Six Hundred and Thirty-Four (7,634) graduands at all levels of academic qualifications and degrees.

 For the First Degrees, we have One Hundred and Nine (109) in First Class (Honours) category, with this breakdown:  Faculty of Administration has Twenty-Four (24), Faculty of Arts, Eight (08); Faculty of Education, Four (04); while Faculty of Law has Twelve (12).

 Others are Faculty of Social Sciences with Nine (09), Faculty of Agriculture, Twelve (12); Faculty of Science, Five (05); Faculty of Environmental Design and Management, Nine (09) and Faculty of Technology, Twenty-Six (26).

 For the Second Class (Honours) Upper Division, we have a total of One Thousand, Six Hundred and Eighty-One (1,681); while Second Class (Honours) Lower Division has a total of Two Thousand, Seven Hundred and Seven (2,707).  Six Hundred and Ninety (690) graduands fall under the Third Class (Honours) category and Seventy (70) would graduate with Pass.  This brings the total number of our First Degree graduands to Five Thousand, Two Hundred and Fifty-Seven (5,257).

 For the Bachelor Degrees (Unclassified), we have those who pass with Honours.  In the Faculty of Clinical Sciences we have Six (06) and One (01) from Dentistry, making the total, Seven (07).  Those who pass with distinction are from Basic Medical Sciences which has Three (03) while Thirty-Five (35) are from Pharmacy.  Those who pass with credit are One Hundred and Eighty-Eight (188) from Basic Medical Sciences while Three Hundred and Fifty-Two (352) have pass.  In the unclassified category, we have a total number of Five Hundred and Eight-Two (582) graduands.

For the Postgraduate Degrees, where we have Postgraduate Diploma, Professional Masters, Master with Research Thesis, Masters of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy respectively, this prestigious University will graduate One Thousand, Six Hundred and Thirty-Seven (1,637) graduands across our Thirteen (13) Faculties.

One Hundred and Fifty-Eight (158) would be awarded Non-Degree Diplomas in the Faculty of Administration, Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Science.

We, therefore, invite you, Gentlemen of the Press, as our partners in progress, to help project and widely publicise these activities to the outside world so that humanity would know that Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, has added Seven Thousand, Six Hundred and Thirty-Four (7,634) Graduates, who have been found worthy both in learning and character, to the human resources development of National, Continental and Global workforce.

I thank you all for listening.  Have a nice day and God bless.

Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede

Vice-Chancellor