The Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji Arakeji, Osun State, on Monday said that a total of 863 students of the institution will be awarded first degrees in its forthcoming convocation ceremony.

Of this number, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Olasebikan Fakolujo, revealed that 722 were undergraduates, with 57 graduating with first-class honours.

The VC disclosed this while briefing journalists on the activities lined up for the 16th convocation ceremony of the university.

He said, “This briefing comes on the heels of our 16th convocation ceremony, a moment that wasn’t just about celebrating 863 graduates, but about positioning a Nigerian university firmly on the global higher education map.

“We measure success differently. Yes, we celebrate academic excellence, 57 first-class graduates this year alone. But we also measure success by how many villages our students have served, through community engagement programmes; how many startups our entrepreneurship graduates have launched; how many patients our nursing graduates have cared for. Our motto, ‘For Knowledge and Godly Service,’ is not just words on a plaque, it is our operating system and DNA.

“This year, we graduated 863 students, 722 undergraduates and 141 postgraduates. But behind these numbers are stories that define our institutional character.

“Three of our law graduates, Amedu Martha, Adio Janet, and Adeyeye Adeife, earned first-class honours at the Nigerian Law School. But Adio Janet did not just make First Class; she emerged as the 3rd best student in criminal litigation and the best female student in the same course nationwide.

“How did this happen? Through a curriculum that combines rigorous legal training with practical courtroom simulations, through faculty who are practising legal professionals, and through a culture that expects excellence and provides the support to achieve it. This is not accidental; it is systemic.”

According to the VC, the faith-based institution maintains its academic excellence, with graduates performing well in their various disciplines following the quality university education they received.

He cited an example of JABU students from the Medical Laboratory Science department, who achieved a 100 per cent pass rate in professional examinations.

“What’s more remarkable is where they are going. Eighty-seven per cent of our nursing graduates are now working in healthcare facilities across Nigeria, including underserved rural communities.

“This is the multiplier effect of JABU education. We hope that the country’s economic situation improves so that they also will not leave the country.

“We are solving Nigeria’s talent gap. Every year, Nigeria loses thousands of its brightest minds to brain drain. At JABU, we are reversing this trend by creating opportunities that make staying worthwhile.

“Our graduates do not just get jobs; they create them. Our graduates have launched startups shortly after graduation and are now employers of labour in Nigeria.”

The JABU VC also disclosed that the wife of the President, Oluremi Tinubu, awarded a student of the university, Mary Amachi, a sum of N5 million annual award for scoring “a 4.88 CGPA and best female student in Mass Communication” in last year’s convocation ceremony.