A new academic record was set in Africa on Wednesday when a 24-year-old student of the University of Lagos, Hallowed Olaoluwa, bagged a doctorate degree in Mathematics for the 2012/2013 session. With a cumulative grade Point average of 5.0, Olaoluwa had the best Ph.D thesis, as well emerged the youngest African scholar, displacing Olabisi Adeyemi who had graduated from the same institution with 4.98 in 2012 at the age of 26, as well as Opeyemi Shodipe of Babcock university who graduated the same year at 25. The award was conferred on him and other 104 students who had successfully completed their Doctor of Philosophy at the concluding convocation ceremony of the university, held at the Multi-purpose Hall. Olaoluwa, an indigene of Ekiti State, was honoued in the presence of the former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof Julius Okojie, who represented the Visitor to the university, President Goodluck Jonathan, the Pro Chancellor of the university, Prof Jerry Gana, the former Vice Chancellor of UNILAG and Vice Chancellor of Ondo State University of Science and Technology (OSUSTECH), Prof Tolu Odugbemi, among other dignitaries. Full of excitement, Olaoluwa said he completed his Ph.D programme in three years. He told Daily Sun that he enrolled for his first degree at Central African Republic at the age of 15, below the minimum age requirement set for Nigerian universities by the NUC. Born in 1989 in Bangui, Central African Republic, he had a First Class and second degrees in Mathematics and Physics in 2007 and 2008, at the age of 18 and 19 respectively. Like a destined child, he already had two degrees at a time his mates in Nigeria were battling with their Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and its attendant rigorous post-UTME. Aside Olaoluwa’s record performance, 21-year-old graduating student of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bakre Oluwafemi Abubakar, smiled home with the Best Graduating Student for the undergraduate programme, with a CGPA of 4.86. While commending the outstanding performance of the students, the Vice Chancellor, Prof Rahamon Ade Bello, said 89 of them finished in First Class division, 1,293 in Second Class Upper division, while 2, 261 obtained Second Class Honours, Lower division. Also, 752 of the graduating students had Third Class Honours division, while 513 had Pass degrees. He congratulated the parents of raduands on their endurance, despite the endless demands by their wards during the course of their studies. Addressing the graduating students and the cheering audience, Prof Jerry Gana prayed divine blessings on the various degrees conferred on the students. He charged the young graduates to create the future they want, and never to wait on others to take the initiative.
Posted on: Fri, 13 Jun 2014 11:20:56 +0000
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