ABUAD's Best Graduating Student Gets Gov. Fayose’s N1M Gift & Employment

20-Year old Oluwatosin Ogunbusola was the cynosure at the second convocation ceremony of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) on Tuesday as she emerged the Best Graduating Student of the 334 students at the 2014 convocation of the institution. The Economics graduate led the pack of 46 other First Class graduates; 158 Second Class (Upper Division), 115 Second Class (Lower Division) and 14 Third Class graduates.

On the occasion, a former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retd); a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos and currently the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Ndifu Alike in Ebonyi State, Professor Oye Ibidapo-Obe; the Vice Chairman of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Mr. Heinz Stockhausen, and a United Kingdom-based specialist in General Medicine and Neurology, Dr Ann Coxon, were honoured with honorary doctoral degrees.

Ogunbusola, told Tribune Education on the occasion that she “sacrificed social life, sleep time, gist time” to achieve the feat, thanking Governor Ayò Fayose, who gave her N1million as gift as well as an offer of employment, saying “I’m extremely grateful and short of words.”

She also thanked Chief Afe Babalola, the founder of the ABUAD, saying “his dream and vision gave the opportunity to pursue my own dream,” and added that “I am convinced that with determination and hard work, anything is achievable.”

Speaking on the occasion, the acting Vice-Chancellor of ABUAD, Professor Michael Ajisafe, expressed delight that “the university which commenced academic work on January 4, 2010 with 149 first set of students has grown geometrically so much so that we now have a student population of about 6,000 offering courses in Social and Management Sciences; Law, Agriculture, Sciences, Engineering, Medicine and Health Sciences and Computer Science.”

Ajisafe said, “In the course of its development within the last five years, ABUAD has been able to distinguish itself as a leading university in Nigeria.”

Governor Ayò Fayose, who was the chief host, in his speech on the occasion, noted that the dream of the founder of ABUAD, Chief Babalola, had “positively impacted on Ekiti State as ABUAD is the highest employer of labour in the state after the state government.”

Fayose noted the positive impact of both Chief Afe Babalola and his ABUAD on the state, saying “ABUAD is a further affirmation of the excellence Afe Babalola stands for” and announced that his government would partner the university “particularly in its agricultural sector.”

Source: AITonline