Harvest of gold: 87 students bag first class in Unilag
By SAM OTTI

Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Success smiled on 87 students of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka as they made First Class divisions in their different courses. On the crest of fame was a 21-year old graduate of Geography, Miss Deborah Ayodele, who set a new academic record in the institution with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.96.



http://odili.net/news/source/2010/jan/26/500.html

Speaking at the two-day event held on Wednesday and Thursday last week, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Tolu Odugbemi, explained that out of the 87 best students, the Department of Engineering had 33. According to him, the Department of Business Administration produced 23 while 10 came from the Science Department. Also, Social Sciences had nine, seven from the Environmental Sciences while the College of Medicine and Arts produced two champions respectively. One lucky star came from the Distance Learning Institute.

While commending them for their outstanding performance, Odugbemi said:

“Hard work will always pay great dividend, therefore, we should strive always to place high premium on diligence and honesty”.

The Vice Chancellor explained that 6,197 students successfully completed their different programmes in the university. Also, three eminent Nigerians were conferred with Honorary Doctorate Degrees. The awardees include: the former Secretary General of Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, the former Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council, Unilag, Professor Umaru Shehu and a centenarian Professor of Education, Cornelius Taiwo.

While analysing the performance of the students, the Vice chancellor recalled that 103 students made First Class in the university last year.

“Last year, in my convocation address, I stated that we shall continue to strive to maintain our pride of cultivating outstanding graduates and that a time would come, when this university would not graduate students in the pass category. Today’s convocation is a testimony that we keep our words. Other things being equal, next year will move us closer to that goal”, he said.

Odugbemi urged the graduating students to ‘propagate the good image of the university-as the university of first choice and the nation’s pride.’

“Please, you are advised to think of what you can do with what you have learnt in the university. Use what you know to achieve what you want in life. Ruminate deeply on how to be self-employed even if you are lucky to secure a paid employment, look inwards and see how you can become an employer of labour”, he said.




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In his own speech, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Deacon Gamaliel Onosode, urged the graduating students to brace-up for the challenges of the world.

In his words: “For your own sake and in the interest of the nation, you must refrain from joining the multitude to do evil. It is in the same spirit and for the same reason that we are committed to the pursuit of excellence and unrelenting adherence to due process, accountability and transparency with a human face in growing this institution.”

Onosode, who attended the convocation of the institution for the first time, pledged the commitment of the Governing Council of the university to enhance the quality of academic programmes and its physical infrastructure.

He said that a retreat with stakeholder would be organised to address the fundamental issues facing the institution.

“Our goal is to address significant issues, in deed and in truth, in the spirit of this university’s motto, striving to put behind us as quickly as possible the negative traits that have tarnished the image of our institutions. It is our desire not to be perceived as part of the nation’s problems but as part of the solution to them, without, of course, Council encroaching on the statutory responsibilities of Management.”

Also speaking, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who was represented by the Honourable Minister of State for Education, Hajia Aisha Dukku, commended the university for keeping aloft the flag of academic excellence.

“You have consistently sustained the requisite peaceful and harmonious environment that makes for optimal pursuit of learning and research, with the result that Unilag is gradually but steadily evolving into Nigeria’s foremost centre for productive research”, he said.

The President extolled the annual Research Conferences and Fairs instituted by the university.

“In the face of the daunting development challenges confronting our country and our common humanity today, this is an initiative that will undoubtedly enable our universities live up to their mandate as agents of change and drives of our national regeneration efforts”, he added.

While congratulating the awardees, President Yar’Adua said that Emeka Anyaoku’s ‘sense of uncommon diligence, selfless service, and unassailable integrity’ marked his tenure as the Secretary General of the Commonwealth. He described Professor Shehu and Professor Taiwo as epitomes of academic excellence and urged them to see the award as a call to greater service to humanity.

Yeah, this is much better that OAU that produced only 2 last convocation. (one in Microbiology and one in Law).

y do unilag produces more 1st class product dan any other sch in nig ? o.a.u convocate only 2 1st class out of more dan 2000graduant ,lasu produce just 4 1st class out of more than 9000 graduants last year wit d higest c.g.p.a of 4.72 , does dat mean d above 2 schools are tougher dan unilag ? or y unilag continue to produce more 1st class product ?

idont bliv 1st class student shld b as many as that sincerely something is wrong with that unilag.they are living on past glory.

I CONGRATULATE THE STUDENT THAT CAME OUT FIRST CLASS IN THEIR FIELD OF STUDY,BUT WE MUST BE CAUTIOUS WITH UNIVERSITY THAT WILL ROLL OUT IN MASS OF FIRST CLASS STUDENT IN THE NAME THAT THEIR INSTITUTION IS PERFORMING. MORE CONGRAT ALL STUDENT OF UNILAG.

This is 2much

This is 2much

I bet in oau those first class divisions would b at most 2nd class lower, 4.96 in all,na wa o!

if i may ask what is so special in having first a class ? just like wat the vc said, that success involves diligence and we should not see it as a tall hope, when u read and be diligent surely u wil hav it. i challenge you the back belles face your studies and read hard then u wil hav it. i attended yabatech if i can rise above my class mate from a lower gp to one of the best result then nothing is impossible

Bullshit, this three much, walai if dey shud com to U[b]NILORIN[/b], i bet it, their best will fall at 2nd Class lower. Although dia is nothin gud as makin it to d peak in an institution but i think the way UNILAG do theirs is somehow. Well, may GOD just help me to shut up my G.P and to leave UNILORIN with my dream grade.

I hope it was all real, cos that sounds too good to be true

Yeah guy thats what u should say and i pray u come out successfully in unilorin with ur dream grade. Honestly speaking i think those guys and babes really work hard 2 bag the first class. So let everybody try and make the first class in their respective universities cos it not easy. Anyhow congratulations 2 them all. One day it will be me too

it's not by first class only oh, cos watch, these students might just end up becoming lecturers cos that's where they will be needed most, theorectical book knowledge

SORTING IN PROGRESS.

FIRST CLASS AUCTION! 

At the end it is about how BLUE your account is.

A first class certificate can't buy you an[b] Escalade, with authentic gold "Spinner" rims. [/b] It can't build you a luxiriouse house, or buy the best brand of pampers and education for yo' kid!
Your IQ ability will provide those.

People love Wole soyinka, but they prefer to be Aliko Dangote! 

If they are real first class materials, it is a welcome development.

Sounds far-fetched!

Wonderful. .

That's my school and i am proud of it.

I hope they are really worth the first class. Some of these so-called first class materials cannot deliver in their chosen profession when they get into the market. Anyways, I wish them well.

Congrats to all those that came out with a First class, What does it take to come out with a First class, more A's than another grade right,

i can assure you that schools like OAU and UNILORIN that graduate 2 or 4 1st class graduates every year are killing the future of other students in their school, first and formost you would have spent 4+X years in University and some miserable lecturers would let you graduate with a 3rd class or 2:2 when your younger brothers equally as good as you are graduating with a 1st class and 2:1 from UNILAG and private universites.

Please stop beefing

Seriously something isn't right, Can some one please tell me only 87, 2 students have the knowledge for for first class in Unilag and OAU respectively, Because most of the nigerian student i've seen doing their masters abroad complain about the unfair marking/ urealistic standard in Nigeria. And the funniest part is they always get high marks here. I think with the kind of student OAU & UNILAG admit there should be at least 10% 1st, Except the lectures are not doing their job properly.

Actually for most top University in America, (IVY LEAGUE AND LIL IVY) there is always a high proportion of 1st & 2:1.

Congratulations to the ones amongst them who ACTUALLY worked hard for their first class grade. . .

MrCrackles:

Congratulations to the ones amongst them who ACTUALLY worked hard for the first class grade. . .

What are you implying? Surely not

All those saying 'the number of 1st class grad is on the high side' are suffering from the typical naija malaise,which presupposes that  genuine academic success is rare.

How many 1st class grads do the US universities produce every year ?? Even practising musicians and sports men graduate with 1st class from Top universities in the US.

1:1 should be based on merit,work hard and you'll get it. . . its actually more about HARD WORK & less of intelligence ,as you'll notice most 1st class grads aren't exactly the 'sharpest' peeps in their classes (in terms of creativity,innovation etc)

The prob with schools like OAU is that you have frustrated,unexposed  lecturers who have become demi-gods in their courses and are  out to transfer the frustration to students,how else can you explain a sitution where a lecturer announces in his very first class that 'NO ONE CAN GET AN 'A' IN MY COURSE??'  

Whatever!!

hater

A big congrat to those guys (87 of them) that bagged 1st Class in Unilag - 1st Class was a dream I nursed thru out my days in the university but alas the dream never materialised.

I dont think it's right to play down the achievements of these guys. Probably some of them wouldnt have made a 1st class if they had gone to other universities in Nigeria not because the standards of those other universities are higher but because the lecturers are sadists. I remember vividly a case where everybody that registered for a course scored a C - even those who couldnt right the exam. Imagine how bittered I was knowing fully well that the lecturer didnt make the script but sat down in his office to assign scores.

I'm sure it isnt news any longer that no matter how intelligent u are some lecturers will never score you an A.

My experiences in University as removed any sympathy for the lecturers in Nigeria - that is why I will never support them when the government mal-treats them. Some of them dont deserve to even be secondary teachers!

MrCrackles:

Congratulations to the ones amongst them who ACTUALLY worked hard for the first class grade. . .

LOL

illusion2:

All those saying 'the number of 1st class grad is on the high side' are suffering from the typical naija malaise,which presupposes that  academic success is rare.

How many 1st class grads do the US universities produce every year ?? Even practising musicians and sports men graduate with 1st class from Top universities in the US.

1:1 should be based on merit,work hard and you'll get it. . . its actually more about HARD WORK & less of intelligence ,as you'll notice must 1st class grads aren't exactly the 'sharpest' peeps in their classes (in terms of creativity,innovation etc)

The prob with schools like OAU is that you have frustrated,unexposed  lecturers who have become demi-gods in their courses and are  out to transfer the frustration to students,how else can you explain a sitution where a lecturer announces in his first class that 'NO ONE CAN GET AN 'A' IN MY COURSE??'  

Considering the amount of fraudulency/bribery that goes on in that country, our maintaining a slight degree of skepticism about its truth deserves some pardoning, don't you think?

Remii:

Yeah, this is much better that OAU that produced only 2 last convocation. (one in Microbiology and one in Law).

Are you sure of this?

Justcash:

SORTING IN PROGRESS.

FIRST CLASS AUCTION! 

At the end it is about how BLUE your account is.

A first class certificate can't buy you an[b] Escalade, with authentic gold "Spinner" rims. [/b] It can't build you a luxiriouse house, or buy the best brand of pampers and education for yo' kid!
Your IQ ability will provide those.

People love Wole soyinka, but they prefer to be Aliko Dangote! 

If they are real first class materials, it is a welcome development.

www.nairaland.com/attachments/180447_ROTFLMAO_gif3d0c775232c7f27cf80592785b9635b6

@ illusion 2

True talk. I respect OAU & UNILAG lecturers, but common the number of 1st class (especially in OAU) is the most ridiculous thing i've ever heard. May God forgive them concerning those student they've denied good Gpa score.

so unilag is now the new miracle center eenn!

my younger ones MUST go to unilag. at least if they don't get 4.96 they will get 4.49

congrats to those who got the grades
its not easy