The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi and other eminent Nigerians are to bag honourary awards at the 23rd convocation ceremonies of the Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti.
Oba Ogunwusi is to be honored with the honourary Doctorate degree in Public Administration at the ceremonies slated for Saturday, June 23, 2018.
The former Registrar of West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and that of University of Ife(now Obafemi Awolowo University, Chief Alex Ajayi, Mr. Abiodun Adedapo, Dr Olasehinde Olatunji, Mr Israel Ovirih and Dr Falil Ayo Abina, are to be honoured with Doctor of Public Administration, Doctor of Finance , Doctor of Public Administration and Doctor of Economics, respectively.
The University’s Vice Chancellor, who spoke at a pre-convocation press conference in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday, said the institution has set up work-study programme, where indigent students would work for the institution and get paid on monthly basis to finance their education to reduce drop out on account of poverty.
The EKSU’s Vice Chancellor, Prof Samuel Oye Bandele, disclosed that a total of 9,796 will be graduated out of which 49 bagged first class honour degrees.
Bandele said the university just secured full accreditation for 35 courses with three placed on interim status by National Universities Commission (NUC), saying this will boost academic performances in the institution when students realise that they have good prospects.
He said the foregoing achievements were a follow up to the approval given by NUC foe the running of 11 new courses, these included: Insurance, Actuarial Science, Library and Information Science, Marketing, Cooperative and Rural Development and Tourism Studies.
Others, according to the Vice Chancellor were: Educational Technology, Entrepreneurship, Industrial Relations and Personnel Management, Anatomy and Philosophy.
“The reason for these new courses is that, we are in the world of competition. Our people need a break away from traditional courses to make them competitive in this 21st century economy”, he said.
The VC added that the university is making good exploits in academics, with many of its academic staff and students leading in national and global academic competitions.
He said one of the students of the university, Tosin Oribamise, is torepresent Nigeria and Africa in Table Tennis Competition in Argentina in October.
“We are really committed to contribute to our environment. The EKSU Water, EKSU blocks and books have taken over the market in Ekiti and our bakery will soon take off.
“This is part of the ways to ensure that we shore up our IGR to be able to meet demands of academics, staff and other things that will promote this university and make them competitive in the labour market”, he said