Crescent University Alumni Earn Three PhDs, Master’s Degree with Distinction at LASU Convocation

Three alumni of the Department of Mass Communication, Crescent University, Abeokuta, were recently awarded Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees during the combined 29th and 30th Convocation Ceremonies of Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo.

The three new doctors are Waheed Ogunjobi, Adeola Yusuf and Sussan Ngozi. At the same ceremony held on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, another graduate of the department, Nurudeen Salako, who previously graduated with a First Class from Crescent University, was awarded a Master’s degree with Distinction.

The achievements have brought recognition to the Crescent University community while highlighting the institution’s emphasis on academic and moral excellence. The Department of Mass Communication, led by Dr Kola Adesina, a Nigerian-British veteran journalist and communicator, has continued to develop its academic and professional training in media and communication.

The department recently recorded 93.5 per cent in an accreditation exercise conducted by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and has now produced three doctoral graduates from its alumni at a single convocation.

Dr Waheed Abiodun Ogunjobi, a Senior Editor with the Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation (OGBC) and Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Ogun State Chapter, earned his PhD from LASU. He had earlier obtained a First Class degree from Crescent University and a Master’s degree from the University of Lagos.

Dr Adeola Yusuf, Team Lead and Editor-in-Chief of Platforms Africa, was also conferred with a PhD. Yusuf graduated from Crescent University in 2013 and is a multiple award-winning journalist and publisher whose academic career has developed alongside his professional practice.

Dr Susan Ngozi, the third member of the trio, also obtained her PhD from LASU, adding to the growing number of Crescent University Mass Communication graduates who have advanced to doctoral-level scholarship.

For Nurudeen Salako, who graduated with a First Class from Crescent University before proceeding to LASU for his Master’s degree, the convocation marked another academic achievement. He earned a Distinction and has also established a career in corporate communications and public relations.

Salako had distinguished himself during his undergraduate studies at Crescent University, and his performance at LASU further demonstrated the academic foundation he received from the institution.

The LASU achievements form part of a broader development within Crescent University’s Department of Mass Communication, which recently reached a major milestone with the graduation of its pioneer set of doctoral candidates.

Six candidates constituted the inaugural PhD cohort of the department, and their successful thesis defences marked the formal development of the department’s doctoral programme.

The pioneer PhD holders are:

1. Sunday Olakunle Somorin, a former Chief Press Secretary to the Ogun State Governor and veteran journalist.

2. Odenike Timothy Omolaso, a Lecturer at the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, who became the first PhD graduate in Mass Communication in the history of Crescent University.

3. Olufunmilayo Thomas-Kuye, also of the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro.

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4. Morayo Ayoola, a lecturer at the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro.

5. Modupe Apanishile, a Senior Information Officer at the Public Relations Unit of the Federal Medical Centre.

6. Oluwatoyin Idehenre, Confidential Secretary to the Honourable Commissioner for Youth and Sports.

The pioneer doctoral candidates were examined by a panel of external examiners, including Professor Dele Odunlami, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye; Professor O. Oyewo, a scholar in media and communication studies at the Department of Communication and Language Arts, University of Ibadan; and Professor Akanni Tunde Musibau of Lagos State University (LASU), an international scholar with extensive grants and sponsorship experience.

The oral defence sessions lasted three days, with two candidates examined each day. The process involved intensive evaluation of the candidates’ research and provided scholarly input from the external examiners.

Commenting on the significance of the achievements, the Head of Department, Dr Kola Adesina, said the development represented the outcome of the department’s investment in training students to think critically, conduct research and develop leadership capacity.

He explained that the department does not focus solely on examinations but also emphasises practical communication training.

According to him, students begin writing, producing, broadcasting and publishing from their first year. The department’s practical training includes the production of newspapers, magazines, radio programmes and online content.

Dr Adesina also highlighted the importance of character and discipline alongside academic excellence, noting that the department seeks to train both the head and the heart.

He said this approach helps graduates adapt when they proceed to other institutions and professional environments because they already have experience in research, publishing and disciplined academic work.

“When any of our students apply for a post graduate programme anywhere in the world, they are not starting from scratch; they are building on a solid foundation,” he said.

The HOD further explained that the achievements of the alumni were part of a longer record of academic and professional accomplishments by graduates of the department.

He pointed to the department’s slogan, “Our First Class is World Class,” citing the example of Dr Rafiat Gawat Raji, a First Class graduate of the department who received a scholarship to pursue a Master’s degree at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland, and later became a scholar.

He also noted that graduates of the department work with global brands such as the BBC and Nestlé, while the department continues to mentor PhD students and encourage graduates to pursue advanced academic qualifications.

Crescent University, Abeokuta, was founded in 2005 by the late Judge Bola Ajibola, a former Attorney General of Nigeria and Judge at the International Court of Justice.

The university is founded on the principles of academic and moral excellence. Its Department of Mass Communication offers training in journalism, broadcasting, public relations, advertising and digital media production.

The department is also focused on producing graduates equipped to create opportunities and compete in the global media industry.

The August 19, 2026 LASU convocation therefore marked another significant moment for Crescent University, with three of its Mass Communication alumni receiving PhDs and another earning a Master’s degree with Distinction, while the department’s own pioneer doctoral programme also recorded its first set of graduates.