JABU Set to Graduate 1,043 Students at 17th Convocation, Including 83 First Class Honours Holders

Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU) in Ikeji-Arakeji, Osun State, is about to send out one of its biggest graduating classes. A total of 1,043 students will graduate at the university’s 17th convocation on Friday, October 23, 2026. The ceremony also marks 20 years since the university was founded.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olasebikan Fakolujo, shared the figures at a press briefing on the anniversary and convocation programme.

The graduating class

Of the 1,043 graduands, 897 are receiving first degrees and 146 are postgraduate students. The undergraduate results break down like this:

• 83 First Class Honours

• 429 Second Class Honours (Upper Division)

• 301 Second Class Honours (Lower Division)

• 74 Third Class

• 10 Pass

The postgraduate group includes 22 PhD recipients, 94 holders of academic master’s degrees, 27 MBA graduates and three postgraduate diploma holders.

The best graduating student for the 2025/2026 session is Miss Misturah Elizabeth Oseni of the Department of Food Science and Technology, who finished with a CGPA of 4.96.

Twenty years on

JABU’s first set of students, 246 in all, matriculated in February 2007. Since then the university has awarded 10,448 undergraduate degrees and more than 800 postgraduate degrees and qualifications. Fakolujo said its graduates now work in business, academia, research, technology, finance and public service.

He described the university’s mission as preparing students with practical skills for self-reliance and entrepreneurship, with research aimed at Nigeria’s social, economic and technological problems. In his words, the real product of a university is human capacity, not buildings. He added that graduates should be able to create jobs and build enterprises, not only look for employment.

Results in professional exams

The Vice-Chancellor pointed to strong showings outside the classroom as well:

• Medical Laboratory Science students recorded a 100 per cent pass rate in their 2026 professional examinations, the third year in a row.

• Nursing Science students also achieved a 100 per cent pass rate in the 2026 registered midwife examination.

• JABU law graduates have earned First Class in the Nigerian Law School examinations in each of the last three years, with five in 2024 and three each in 2025 and 2026.

Honest about the hard years

Fakolujo admitted that the university has faced financial constraints and periods that called for reforms, but said it kept improving its academic and administrative systems. He also thanked parents and guardians for the sacrifices they made to keep their children in school, calling the convocation a celebration of both the graduands and their families.