Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu awarded N10 million to Olaniyi Olawale, the best graduating student of Lagos State University (LASU) for the 2023/2024 session.
Governor Sanwo-Olu made the donation yesterday during the 27th convocation ceremony at LASU’s Buba Marwa Auditorium.
Olawale graduated from the Accounting Education Department with a cumulative GPA of 4.98.
Some prominent stakeholders, including Prince Tajudeen Olusi and Dr Samuel Adedoyin, received honorary doctorates, while Prof. Amidu Sanni and Emeritus Prof. Martins Anetekhai were elevated.
“Congratulations Olaniyi Olawale, well done! Your hard work has brought you this far, the reward for hard work is more work. I believe there are so many Olawales in here, I want you to be inspired, LASU is a school of excellence.
“LASU has continued to lead in academic excellence. Products of this great institution have continued to excel in all their chosen fields.
“Just last week, I swore in 13 new judges for Lagos State, 10 of them were alumni of LASU; that shows that we’re indeed great.
“I applaud the governing council for instilling discipline and diligence, and this is evident wherever your products are. LASU remains the best state university in Nigeria, and also the most digitally-advanced university in Nigeria.
“We’re doing well so we shouldn’t rest on our oars, we will keep setting the pace as the state of excellence. Thank you all,” Sanwo-Olu said.
The governor also advocated for more inclusivity for women in subsequent editions.
“I’d like to see more inclusivity for our women, as all our recipients are men. We need to have at least a woman in the mix,” he said.
About 11,195 students graduated from the university.
Acting Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) Chris Maiyaki admonished the graduands to remain vibrant and relevant.
According to him, education is a dynamic and evolving field, and so the approach must be adaptive, innovative and forward-thinking because ‘Nigeria’s future would depend on the commitment and competence of the younger generation who would soon take over’.