It was appreciation galore yesterday as the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, holds Press Conference to announce it’s 14th Combined Special Convocation ceremonies.
Addressing press men and members of the University community, the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mojeed Olaide Liasu disclosed that 753 of the graduands make first class as the Institution graduates 24,704 students.
Breaking the figure down further, he explained that 8,096 graduands made Second Class Honours Upper Division; 12,023 graduated with Second Class Lower; 3221 made Third Class and 299 finished in Pass category.
Liasu added at a press conference he addressed in Ogbomoso that the graduands were drawn from six sets: 2015/2016, 2016/2017, 2017/2018, 2018/2019, 2019/2020 and 2020/2021.
As part of the convocation, the vice Chancellor also said a former Military Governor of Oyo State, Gen. Oladayo Popoola ( retd) would be awarded a honorary degree in appreciation of his contributions to the development of humanity.
Apart from Popoola, a former Pro-Chancellor of and Chairman, Governing Council of LAUTECH, Chief Mobolaji Ayorinde (SAN); the Vice Chairman and Executive Officer of BOVAS Group, Dr Victoria Samson; Pastor Williams Olugbemi and Ambassador Ibironke Adefope will also be awarded honorary degrees of the university.
Liasu said the university has continued to record many feats which he attributed to the efforts of Governor Seyi Makinde to reposition the school and make it a world class university.
The university, the VC said, has been consistently ranked the Best State University in the country while the National Universities Commission declared LAUTECH as the fourth best university in the country.
According to him, “news filtering in from Webometrics, world renowned ranking body also named us as the Best State University and number 12 in the country. In the latest ranking, March 11,2022, the body rates LAUTECH as the 9th best university in Nigeria in it’s “World Scientist and University Rankings 2022,” he added.
He lauded lecturers in the university for winning various grants including TETFUND and Prof Daniel Ojurongbe of Department of Medical Microbiology who he said won Humboldt Research Hub awarded by Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation.
“His research is on the Establishment of Centre for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious diseases with focus on genetic factors influence on the relatively low mortality rate for COVID-19 in Africa. The value of the grant is €750,000 ( N357, 183,513.08),” he added.
He said that the backlog of 13 months of workers salaries had been cleared and that work ongoing on payment of outstanding allowances owed the workers to encourage them to continue to give their best.
He hinted that in line with the state government’s vision to change LAUTECH to a conventional one from the University of technology, new academic programmes such as Law, Mass Communication, Education and others courses would soon be introduced.
He said, ” Some capital projects being sponsored by TETFUND are either under construction or at completion stages. These include the N3 billion naira hostel project under construction; Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Management Sciences building and Faculty of Clinical Sciences Simulation Library.
“The Oyo State Government has equally sponsored building and equipping of Emerging Skill Acquisition Laboratory with the state of the art equipment.
“This building is expected to be commissioned by the Oyo State Governor during the convocation.
“The LAUTECH Alumni Association under the leadership of Mr. Solomon Onilede, has also put up an event centre which will serve the purpose of holding meetings and events.
“Currently at Iseyin campus, there are constructions of lecture halls and offices on-going being sponsored by NEEDS Assessment at the College of Agricultural Sciences and Renewable Natural Resources while another
building is being constructed for the Faculty of Renewable and Natural Resources being sponsored by the Oyo State Government.”
