A total of 188 students of Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State on Friday July 21 graduated with First Class degrees at its 2016/2017 convocation held at the institution.
The Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof. Aaron Atayero, disclosed this during the 12th convocation ceremony for the conferment of first degrees and higher degrees and presentation of prizes.
According to him, a total of 1,426 students comprising 188 first class honours, 568 second class upper honours, 322 second class lower, 47 in third class and 301 post graduate students graduated in the academic session.
Atayero said the university had trained set of expert thinkers and world changers who have the ability to thrive in adversity and contribute their quotas to national development.
The VC also said that the institution was the foremost private university in Nigeria setting pace for others public and private institutions.
“Covenant University has continued to be at the cutting edge of innovation and research in proffering solutions to the nation’s challenges,’’ he said.
The chancellor, Dr David Oyedepo, said in his speech that the 2016 edition of the Nigerian Graduate Report ranked the institution with the most employable graduates among all Nigerian private and public universities.
Oyedepo said that most of the nation’s challenges needed indigenous solutions rather than foreign solutions.
He said that the nation found itself where we are today as a matter of choice, adding that it was high time both individuals and leaders took responsibility in solving the nation’s problems.
“The education would enhance such initiative in solving the nation’s challenges because it cannot give what we do not have in solving our problems,’’ he said.
Oyedepo, however, urged the graduating students to go forth with greater mentality and take responsibilities because they are going into a world of endless opportunities.
He also advised them to be a purposeful contributor towards the development of the nation.
Mrs Cecilia Akintomide, former Vice-President and Secretary General, African Development Bank, in her keynote address, said that Nigeria cannot continue to maintain the status quo in the education sector.
“The continued creation of private universities with inadequate funding for public universities will generate inequities that will haunt our future,’’ she said.
Akintomide, said that resources available for public universities were limited in providing employable graduates.
She stressed the need for the Federal Government to grant scholarship to less privileged people so that they could achieve their dreams and contribute to the nation’s development.
She however advised the Federal Government to improve funding of educational sector by allocating more funds in the annual budget.
