The University of Lagos, UNILAG, has announced Chukwuzubelu Benedict Umeozor of the Department of Business Administration as its overall best graduating student for the 2025/2026 academic session, after he emerged with a perfect CGPA of 5.0.
Also honoured as the best graduating student in the Sciences is Deborah Isiuwa Oloton of the Department of Architecture, who recorded a CGPA of 4.91.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Folasade Tolulope Ogunsola, stated this at a pre-convocation press conference held at the Senate Chamber, ahead of the University’s 56th Convocation Ceremonies.
According to her, the University will graduate a total of 16,506 students, comprising 10,584 undergraduates and 5,922 postgraduate students, with 140 graduands from the University of Lagos Business School.
Professor Ogunsola also announced the winners of this year’s doctoral research awards. The overall best Ph.D. thesis was won by Haruna Egbunu Abubakar in Civil and Environmental Engineering (Structures option), while the best Ph.D. thesis in the Humanities went to Beatrice Paul Zuhumnen in Educational Psychology. The best DBA thesis from the UNILAG Business School was awarded to Oyeyemi Idowu Adebamowo.
She explained that convocation activities will begin on Friday, January 16, 2026, with a Jumaat Service at the University Central Mosque, and continue on Monday, January 19, with the unveiling of the UNILAG Multimedia Library Studio, a facility funded through a World Bank Centre of Excellence project to enhance digital documentation of Nigeria’s cultural heritage. An exhibition of staff and student innovations will also hold the same day.
The Convocation Lecture, titled “Maximizing Nigeria’s Demographic Dividend through Urgent Education Reform for Global Competitiveness in the 21st Century,” will be delivered by Mr. Orondaam Otto, founder of Slum2School Africa, at the J.F. Ade-Ajayi Auditorium, and will be chaired by Professor Rahamon A. Bello, former Vice-Chancellor of the University.
Undergraduate degrees will be conferred on January 20 and 21, covering students from Arts, Architecture, Communication and Media Studies, Creative Arts, Education, Environmental Sciences, Life Sciences, Physical and Earth Sciences, Computing and Informatics, Social Sciences, Medicine, Engineering, Law, Management Sciences, Pharmacy, and the Distance Learning Institute.
Postgraduate diplomas, master’s and doctoral degrees will be awarded on Thursday, January 22, alongside honours for distinguished scholars.
Two retired academics, Professor James Dele Olowokudejo and Professor Duro Oni, will be named Emeritus Professors, while Professor Akinsanya Olayide Osibogun will be conferred with the title of Distinguished Professor. Gold Medals will also be presented to Professor Ayoka Mopelola Olusakin and Dr. (Mrs.) Taiwo Folasade Ipaye for their sustained service to the University.
The University will further honour two prominent Nigerians: Mr. Jubril Adewale Tinubu, who will receive a Doctor of Business degree, and former Attorney-General of the Federation, Barrister Kanu Godwin Agabi, who will be awarded a Doctor of Laws degree.
Professor Ogunsola noted that the ceremonies will continue with a long-service awards ceremony and a convocation play, Ola Rotimi’s “Oba Ovonramwen Nogbaisi”, on January 23, and will conclude with a thanksgiving service on Sunday, January 25, at the Chapel of Christ Our Light.
She also highlighted the University’s recent achievements, announcing that UNILAG retained its number one position in Nigeria (alongside the University of Ibadan) in the 2026 Times Higher Education Rankings, placing in the 801–1000 band globally out of 2,191 institutions. According to her, the ranking showed UNILAG as first in research quality and industry income in Nigeria.
In addition, the University emerged as the winner of the Most International African Institution (West Africa) 2025, an award presented by the International Education (TINE) at its Africa Summit for its impact in advancing international education opportunities.
The Vice-Chancellor thanked Senate members, staff, alumni, partners, and stakeholders for their continued support, reaffirming the University’s commitment to excellence in teaching, researc,h and community service.