LASU’S COMBINED CONVOCATION: An Unforgettable Experience In Academic Success Celebration
By KEMI KASUMU
For the Adefaka family, Salmah’s graduation represented more than the acquisition of a university degree. She became the third graduate of the publisher’s immediate family, adding another milestone to a family that has continued to place strong emphasis on education.
Nothing compares with the joy of watching one’s children grow, succeed and reap the rewards of years of education and sacrifice. For many families, that joy was on full display during the weeklong combined convocation ceremonies of Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo.
Among the families celebrating was that of the publisher of The DEFENDER Newspaper, Prince Bashir Adefaka, whose daughter, Salmah Adetona Adefaka, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language from the Faculty of Arts, LASU, on Tuesday, August 18, 2026.
For the Adefaka family, Salmah’s graduation represented more than the acquisition of a university degree. She became the third graduate of the publisher’s immediate family, adding another milestone to a family that has continued to place strong emphasis on education.
Before completing her degree, Salmah had also acquired additional skills through programme-based certificates, particularly in public speaking and video editing. Her academic achievement, therefore, came alongside practical skills considered relevant to the demands of a rapidly changing professional environment.
A week of academic celebrations
The LASU combined convocation ceremonies, which covered the 29th and 30th convocations for the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 academic sessions, brought together thousands of graduands, families, academics, traditional rulers, political leaders and other dignitaries.
The weeklong programme began at the university’s Epe Campus on Monday, August 17, 2026, with the announcement of the overall best graduating students for the two academic sessions.
The DEFENDER, in an earlier publication, revealed that the Lagos State University had named two standout scholars as its overall best graduating students for the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 academic sessions ahead of its combined 29th and 30th convocation ceremonies.
They are Ayilara Olawale of the Department of Project Management Technology 2024/2026 session and Adebanjo Samuel Oluolamide of the Department of Aerospace Engineering 2025/2026.
Where Ayilara emerged as the overall best graduating student for the 2024/2025 academic session with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.96 graduating with First Class Honours for his session, the best graduating student for the 2025/2026 session, Adebanjo, achieved a CGPA of 4.97, earning First Class Honours and also turned out to be the best of the two sessions.
The ceremony featured the conferment of diplomas, first degrees, postgraduate diplomas and master’s degrees in areas including Engineering and Agricultural Sciences, as well as the conferment of the rank of Distinguished Professor.
The highlight of the Epe Campus event was the presentation of N10 million cash prize to the LASU’s overall best graduating student for the 2025/2026 academic session, Adebanjo Samuel Oluolamide.
Sunbeth Excellence Partnership Programme (SEPP), which made the presentation during LASU’s 29th and 30th combined convocation ceremony held on Monday August 17, 2026 at the Olatunji Bello Auditorium, Epe Campus, said it was for Adebanjo’s outstanding academic performance.
The second major phase took place on Tuesday, August 18, at the Buba Marwa Auditorium, where the university held its convocation lecture alongside the presentation of the other diplomas, first degrees, postgraduate diplomas and master’s degrees.
Among the successful graduands at the Tuesday ceremony were Salmah Adetona Adefaka, who received a BA in English Language; Islamiyyah Tijani, also awarded a BA in English Language; Hikmah Okueso, who bagged a BSc in Marketing; Maryam Modupe Garba who graduated B.Ed in Education; and Abdurrahman Adebola Adeleke, son of Professor Imran Adeleke, a don of Lagos State University of Education, who graduated with BSc. Economics.
The ceremony also witnessed the graduation of two of Professor Ishaq Akintola’s children, Zaynab Moronkeji Akintola and Ameer Olanshile Akintola, as well as his adopted daughter Raheemah Akanni Abass-Olisa, trio of who received master’s degrees at the Tuesday August 18 event.
Grand finale under royal leadership
The grand finale of the combined convocation ceremonies was held on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, under the chairmanship of the university’s Chancellor, His Royal Majesty Oba Olufolarin Olukayode Ogunsanwo, Telade IV, the Alara of Ilara Kingdom, Lagos State, with Visitor to the university, Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu and Deputy Governor Obafemi Awolowo, Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, and National Missioner of the Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, Sheikh Abdur-Rahman Olanrewaju Ahmad, among others in attendance.
The final ceremony provided the university with an opportunity to celebrate graduates at the highest levels of academic attainment, while also recognising distinguished Nigerians whose contributions to society earned them honorary degrees.
One of the notable moments of the ceremony was the conferment of a professional Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) on the Chancellor, Oba Ogunsanwo.
The monarch, who had assumed his role as Chancellor of the university, thus combined his traditional responsibilities with a new academic distinction from the institution he now leads in its ceremonial and governance capacity.
Successful graduands with academic doctorate degrees included the Imam of Vanguard Newspaper Muslim Community, Dr. Haruna Razaq Ishola PhD in Islamic Studies from the Department of Religions and Peace Studies; a Journalist and immediate past Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Kwara State, Dr. Rafiu Ajakaye, PhD in History and Diplomacy; Dr. Tajudeen Ishola Onikoyi, who bagged a PhD in Computer Science.
Honorary degrees for distinguished Nigerians
LASU also honoured three prominent Nigerians with honorary Doctor of Business degrees.
They included Mr. Akin Kekere-Ekun, OFR, a former two-time Pro-Chancellor of the university, and Mrs. Harriet-Ann Omobolanle “Bola” Adesola. Both were physically present to receive the honours.
Business magnate Alhaji Aliko Dangote was also honoured, with his daughter, Fatimah Dangote, representing him at the ceremony.
The recognition of the three personalities formed part of the highlights of the grand finale, reflecting the university’s tradition of celebrating individuals who have made significant contributions to education, business and national development.
Celebrating 20,000 graduates
Beyond the colourful ceremonies and individual stories of achievement, the combined convocation represented a major milestone for LASU, with about 20,000 graduands from the two academic sessions receiving various academic qualifications.
For the graduates and their families, the figures translated into thousands of personal stories—years of lectures, examinations, research, financial sacrifices, family support and determination culminating in certificates that could open new chapters in their lives.
For families such as the Adefakas, the significance was deeply personal.
As Salmah Adetona Adefaka joined the growing community of LASU alumni with her BA in English Language, her graduation became another testament to the enduring value of investing in education.
From the Epe Campus to the Ojo campus, and from first degrees to doctoral and honorary distinctions, the 29th and 30th combined convocation ceremonies offered LASU a week to celebrate scholarship, perseverance and achievement.
For the university, it was a celebration of academic growth. For the graduates, it was the beginning of another journey. And for their families, it was a moment to look back at years of sacrifice and proudly say that the investment in education had yielded its reward.
