A total of 114 students of the Covenant University, Ota, in Ogun State graduated with first class honours, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
The first class students were among the 1,466 who were awarded various degrees at the institution’s 8th convocation ceremony.
The Chancellor of the University, David Oyedepo, said at the event that 720 of the students made Second Class (Upper Division), 565 Second Class (Lower Division), and 67 Third Class.
Mr. Oyedepo said that 111 of the students were awarded Master’s Degrees while 30 others obtained PhD. He said the university’s Board of Regent had mandated it to become one of the best 10 universities in the world in the next 10 years.
Mr. Oyedepo said that the mandate was known as “Vision 1 of 10 in 10’’. He said that the board had also approved the adjustment of the institution’s academic calendar in line with best practices.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Charles Ayo, advised the graduating students to strive for excellence in all their endeavours.
The Minister of Power, Chinedu Nebo, who was the guest speaker, urged developing nations to embrace the principles of the “new economy’’.
He delivered a paper entitled: “Transformational Leadership and the Quest for Global Relevance.”
Nebo said: “The world economy is now global, highly competitive and driven by knowledge.
“The world has evolved into a global knowledge economy that has no patience for ignorance and indolence.
“In this new economy, talent, entrepreneurship, creativity, innovation, ability to network and capacity to develop, nuture and master complex dynamics, drive personal economic success and success of nations.”
Mr. Nebo said that, for the first time in documented history, Sub-Saharan Africa was witnessing robust growth, and that Nigeria was one of the growth leaders.
“Africa is being looked at as a ray of hope and the bastion of growth. These opportunities promise to come if we are able to bring about transformational change in the way we do business and in our educational system,” he said.
He charged the students to be relevant in the new economy, where the individual was the knowledge worker.
(NAN)