First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has awarded N5 million to the overall best graduating student of the Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU) at Ipo Arakeji and Ikeji-Arakeji Osun State.
Miss Misturah Elizabeth Oseni a student of the Department of Food Science and Technology at the institution graduated with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.96 making her the best graduating student.
The institution’s vice-chancellor Prof. Olasebikan Alade Fakolujo announced this yesterday at Ikeji-Arakeji while addressing reporters ahead of the university’s 17th convocation ceremony and 20th anniversary celebration.
Fakolujo explained that the award was in recognition of Miss Oseni’s academic performance and would support her future academic pursuits.
‘The best graduating student is Misturah Elizabeth Oseni and she is in the Department of Food Science and Technology and graduates with 4.96 CGPA.
‘Miss Oseni will receive a special prize as Overall Best Student including N5 million from the First Lady of Nigeria Senator Oluremi Tinubu’ he said.
The vice-chancellor also explained that the First Lady had invested in female academic excellence at the university through an endowment for the best graduating female student.
He said other outstanding students would also receive cash awards of N1 million and N500000 for their academic excellence.
According to Fakolujo a total of 1043 students will be graduating at the convocation comprising 897 first-degree and 146 postgraduate graduands.
He stated that 83 undergraduates will graduate with first-class honours 429 with second-class upper-division degrees 301 with second-class lower-division degrees 74 with third-class degrees and 10 with pass degrees.
The vice chancellor added that the postgraduate category comprised 22 doctoral graduates 94 academic master’s degree holders 27 Master of Business Administration graduates and three postgraduate diploma recipients.
He announced that the annual awards introduced to recognise outstanding academic performance among the students had risen from N17.5 million in 2024 to N24 million in 2025 and N27 million this year.
‘Excellence should be recognised encouraged and rewarded and that is what our chancellor has been doing since he came on board in 2024’ Fakolujo stated.
Reflecting on the institution’s two decades of operation Prof. Fakolujo specifically identified institution-building human-capital development and entrepreneurial education as its major achievements.
He said the university founded by the leader of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) had focused on developing academic programmes strengthening institutional systems and building an identity capable of enduring changes in leadership and other challenges.
According to him JABU has also pursued an entrepreneurial approach to higher education emphasising the connection between academic knowledge practical competence and economic empowerment.
The vice chancellor said the university had partnered with Google for Education to improve the digital skills of staff and students in digital education.
He stated that the collaboration was intended to strengthen technology-driven teaching learning communication and research enabling members of the university community to benefit from digital learning platforms.
Fakolujo called for greater emphasis on research that addresses practical challenges facing society stressing that the value of university research should not be assessed solely by the number of academic papers published but also by its contribution to solving problems affecting farmers entrepreneurs patients communities industries and public institutions.
He acknowledged that the university had experienced financial constraints periods requiring institutional reforms and delays in implementing some plans over the past 20 years.
The vice chancellor further explained that the institution had continued to adapt learn from its challenges and pursue improvements.
Fakolujo announced that JABU had developed its first formally documented five-year strategic plan covering 2027 to 2031.
He said the plan contained measurable goals expected outcomes and key performance indicators to guide the university’s next phase of development.
‘Among the priorities outlined for the period are academic excellence research and innovation alongside digital transformation and infrastructure development’ Fakolujo noted.
The vice-chancellor said the university intended to strengthen teaching modernise instructional methods and encourage research that responds to Nigeria’s social economic and technological needs.
He added that the institution would continue to build on its achievements in human-capital development and entrepreneurial education as it prepares for the next phase of its growth.