FUNAAB VC Charges 27th NUGA Contingent to Put Academics First

The Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Prof. Babatunde Kehinde, has delivered a clear directive to student-athletes: secure your degree before pursuing professional ambitions in sports.

He gave the charge during a special recognition ceremony held on February 19, 2026, at the Green Chamber of the University to honour FUNAAB’s contingent to the 27th Nigerian University Games Association Games (NUGA), recently hosted by the University of Jos, as well as the institution’s Monieball Bronze Medalists.

Addressing the athletes, the Vice-Chancellor stressed the primacy of education as a non-negotiable foundation for sustainable success. He urged them to balance academic responsibilities with sporting aspirations, cautioning against sacrificing long-term prospects for short-term recognition.

“Earn your degree and go for your passion later. Don’t just pass through the University; let the University pass through you,” he advised, reinforcing the institution’s mandate to build intellectually grounded graduates prepared for diverse career trajectories.

Prof. Kehinde acknowledged that while some students may ultimately build professional sports careers, others may pivot into entirely different sectors unrelated to their fields of study. The University’s responsibility, he maintained, is to equip students with critical thinking skills, discipline, and resilience—assets that transcend any single profession.

Commending the contingent, he recognised the dual pressure of academics and competitive sports, noting that several institutions returned from the Games without medals. He described the athletes’ performance as evidence of focus, endurance, and institutional pride.

Earlier, the Director of the Directorate of Sports and Wellness Centre, Dr. Samuel Olabanji, described the ceremony as historic—the first formal recognition of the Sports Directorate in this manner. He applauded the Vice-Chancellor’s leadership, citing tangible support such as the donation of a bus and allocation of an official vehicle to strengthen operational capacity.

A major highlight of the event was the formal presentation of medals to both the NUGA and Monieball contingents, alongside the decoration of the Vice-Chancellor with commemorative medals in appreciation of his consistent backing of sports development.

In a decisive show of institutional support, the Vice-Chancellor announced performance-based cash rewards: ₦40,000 for Gold Medalists, ₦20,000 for Silver Medalists, ₦15,000 for Bronze Medalists, and ₦7,000 for other participating athletes.

The message was unequivocal: talent is valuable, but education is the strategic asset.