The Vice-Chancellor, Covenant University, Professor Abiodun H. Adebayo, has disclosed that 238 students graduated with First Class Honours among the 1,379 graduates in various degrees, in the 2022/2023 academic session.
Adebayo disclosed this on Friday, September 29, 2023, during the 18th convocation ceremony, conferment of degrees, and presentation of prizes held at the University Chapel, in Ota, Ogun State.
In his words, “I am pleased to inform this distinguished audience that today, we are celebrating the products of our life-applicable learning factory with the conferment of 1,175 Bachelor’s and 204 higher degrees in various disciplines, having found the graduands worthy in character and in learning. In the Bachelor’s degree category, 283 (24.09%) of the graduands made First Class, while 656 (55.83%) are in the Second Class (Upper Division). Also, 214 (18.21%) of the graduands are in the Second Class (Lower Division), and 22 (1.87%) of the graduands are in the Third Class category.
“In the higher degree category, there are 57 persons who are being awarded the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree. In the Master’s degree category, there are one hundred and seven (107) persons graduating with a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree, twenty-seven (27) obtaining a Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) degree, while two (2) persons are being conferred with Master of Arts (M.A.) degree. Also, in the professional graduate programme category, eleven (11) of the graduands are being conferred with Master in Business Administration (MBA) degree.”
Adebayo, while congratulating the graduates, urged them to embrace the virtue of an eagle which endures storm to earn its honour.
“I want to congratulate the class of 2023 as you are released as Eagles today. It is evident that you have been equipped to soar higher and conquer unimaginable feats in the name of Jesus Christ. Please don’t despair even when the journey gets tough and stormy but remember that an eagle earns its honour from the storms it endures,” he stated.
Nelson Ifechukwu, a student in the Department of Electrical Electronics Engineering, College of Engineering, emerged as the best-graduating student with a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 4.98.
“The Covenant’s mission is to transform students into experts, thinkers, innovative managers and resourceful technocrats in all fields of learning, thus restoring relevance to the university context in Africa,” he said.
The vice-chancellor said that the institution was ranked first in Nigeria, first in West Africa and 7th in Africa by the Times Higher Education World University and Impact Rankings.
He added that Covenant is the only private university among all Nigerian universities in the 2023 ranking, making it the best private university in Nigeria and Africa.