University of Ibadan VC Urges Graduates to Uphold Excellence and Harness Their Potential

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan (UI), Professor Kayode O. Adebowale, mni, FAS, fspsp, has urged graduates to embrace the values of rigorous scholarship, critical thinking, and the diversity of the university as they step into the world.

He delivered the message on the third day of the 2025 Convocation ceremonies, during which graduands were admitted into First Degrees across the Faculties of Environmental Design & Management, Education, the Distance Learning Centre, and Affiliated Institutions.

Professor Adebowale reminded the graduates that they inherit the legacies of past scholars and leaders who have walked the university’s halls. While acknowledging the complexity and unpredictability of the modern world, he emphasized that UI has prepared them to be agents of change, equipped with both knowledge and the responsibility to contribute meaningfully to society.

The Vice-Chancellor described convocation not as an end, but the commencement of a lifelong journey of learning and societal contribution. He encouraged graduates to serve as ambassadors of UI, upholding the virtues of integrity, resilience, and service. He noted that the university has consistently produced leaders across academia, governance, science, medicine, technology, literature, and the arts, and continues to champion research, innovation, and national development.

Professor Adebowale charged the fresh graduates to be enterprising, technologically adept, and creative, emphasizing the need to complement academic knowledge with employability and professional skills.

Delivering the Commencement Address titled “The Twenty-First Century Graduates: Digging Out the Gold in You,” Dr. Charles T. Akinsete, Senior Lecturer in the Department of English and a first-class UI alumnus, highlighted the personal and collective challenges that students endured during their academic journey. He acknowledged the sacrifices made, from sleepless nights to battling hunger and adversity, noting that such experiences sharpened character and strengthened principles of learning.

Dr. Akinsete cautioned graduates that the true tests of life begin post-graduation and that new challenges and adversities are inevitable. He encouraged them to pursue five types of wealth—spiritual, physical, time, social, and financial—as pathways to fully realizing the gold within them. He emphasized that while graduation signifies their potential, hard work, resilience, and gratitude are necessary to manifest it fully.

The commencement speaker concluded by urging graduates to be disciplined, courageous, and dedicated, reminding them that the world awaits the impact of their talents and efforts.

The ceremony also included the presentation of prizes to the best graduating students and other award recipients from various faculties.