The University of Ilorin(UNILORIN) is set to graduate 11,886 students at its 40th convocation, which coincides with its golden jubilee anniversary.

The Vice Chancellor, Professor Wahab Egbewole, made this known on Monday during a press briefing to herald the convocation ceremonies.

Egbewole stated that the graduating students span various faculties and academic programmes, noting that 316 earned First Class honours, while 4,120 and 5,939 will graduate with Second Class Upper and Lower Division degrees, respectively.

He added that 1,078 students earned Third Class degrees, while 11 others graduated with a Pass.

“In addition, we have 175 MBBS graduands, 94 in Nursing, 40 in Optometry, 36 in Veterinary Medicine, 64 in Physiotherapy, and 13 Diploma graduates,” the Vice Chancellor said.

He added that 1,520 post-graduate degrees would also be conferred during the convocation.

“As the University of Ilorin celebrates 50 years of academic distinction, we look back with pride at the strides we have made in nurturing leaders, advancing knowledge, and shaping national and global development.

“At the same time, we look forward with renewed determination to sustain our legacy of excellence in teaching, research, and community service,” he added.

The VC described the convocation and jubilee as “not just milestones but a testament to five decades of unwavering commitment to excellence, innovation, integrity, and service to humanity.”

Egbewole also highlighted the significant support received by the institution from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, which he said continued to play a critical role in sustaining higher education in Nigeria.

“In the year under review, the university received an intervention fund of N2,560,562,362.66 from TETFund, covering 11 areas, including physical infrastructure, academic staff training, ICT support, entrepreneurship, and career services,” he stated.

He added that the university also benefited from a N300m zonal intervention, a N4bn Special High Impact Project for upgrading facilities at the College of Health Sciences, and N750m for the construction of a new hostel within the college.

“These interventions have greatly strengthened our infrastructure and capacity for quality teaching and research,” Egbewole said, noting that the TETFund awards were presented to the university by the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, in April.