Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Thursday gave N10 million as appreciation to the best graduating student in the history of Lagos State University (LASU), Miss Aminat Yusuf.
Aminat of the 2021/2022 academic session, Faculty of Law, finished with the perfect Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 5.00 (First Class Honours).
Speaking at the 26th convocation and 40th anniversary of LASU, Sanwo-Olu said N5 million of the gift was his personal donation while the other N5 million came from Lagos State government.
“I congratulate Miss Aminat Imoitesemeh Yusuf on her excellent academic performance which reflects her exceptional brilliance, hard work, sacrifice and focus.
“I am pleased to announce a personal donation of N5 million and an additional N5 million from the state government to recognise her outstanding achievement. Well done Aminat!
“To all the graduating students who chose Lagos State University as their institution of choice and have gone through a robust training, I say big congratulations.
“I know that you are all eager to positively impact and contribute meaningfully to the growth and development of this great nation.
“It is my fervent hope and prayer that you all will be worthy ambassadors of this great citadel of learning,’’ the governor said.
Sanwo-Olu noted that in the past 40 years, LASU had lived up to the expectations of its founding fathers.
He said that attaining 40 years of excellence was no mean feat and congratulated LASU for remaining steadfast in its commitment to the provision of high standard of education.
According to him, LASU’s high standard of education has produced highly-skilled men and women over the years, many of whom are being celebrated in Nigeria and abroad.
“I am equally impressed by the many achievements of the university which have received national and international recognitions.
“In 2018, the World Bank selected and designated LASU as one of 16 Nigerian universities recognised as `Africa’s Centre of Excellence for Innovative and Transformative Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
“LASU has started the admission of international students to the programme,’’ the governor said.
Sanwo-Olu commended the university’s management for maintaining uninterrupted academic sessions, and for aggressively pursuing the promotion of vigorous research and teaching in line with global best standards.
He noted that beyond churning out graduates from universities regularly, the essence of education was to meet societal needs.
The governor charged universities to ensure that their curricula were at par with best international standards.
“This is necessary to reverse the negative effect that the scourge of education tourism is having on our young ones and on our development,’’ Sanwo-Olu stressed.