Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos state governor, has gifted Olaniyi Mubaraq Olawale, the Lagos State University (LASU) best-graduating student, the sum of N10 million.

In a post on X, Jubril Gawat, the senior special assistant to the governor on new media, said Olaniyi, who studied Accounting Education, graduated with a CGPA of 4.98.

He added that the governor rewarded Olaniyi with N10 million for his outstanding academic feat during the 27th convocation grand finale on Thursday.

“FLASH: Governor of Lagos State, Mr #jidesanwoolu has announced a token of N110m for the overall best-graduating student of Lagos State University (#LASUOfficial), Olaniyi Mubaraq Olawale, Accounting Education, who graduated with a CGPA of 4.98,” he wrote.

“Mr Governor made this announcement today at the Lagos State University (LASU) Grand Finale of the 27th Convocation Ceremony.”

In the video, Sanwo-Olu said the token was gifted to the 22-year-old student to encourage him.

FLASH: Governor of Lagos State, Mr @jidesanwoolu has announced a token of Ten Million Naira (10,000,000) for the overall best graduating student of Lagos State University (@LASUOfficial), Olaniyi Mubaraq Olawale, Accounting Education, who graduated with a CGPA of 4.98.

Mr… pic.twitter.com/4apv4VWGhe

— Jubril A. Gawat (@Mr_JAGs) June 6, 2024

“Graduating with a CGPA of 4.98 is not a small feat, so I congratulate Olaniyi. This is a moment of great joy, not just for you but for all of us. To celebrate and to honour you, I announce a token of N10 million,” he said.

While delivering the valedictory speech, Olaniyi said: “It is with great humility that I address you today as the son of a wood seller, and a late mother, who defied expectations to emerge from a faculty wrongly tagged as an asylum for students with low intellectual quotient or students gifted with courses different from their desires”.

“Without mincing words, I state categorically that I am neither a low IQ student nor given the course different from my desire. I chose Accounting Education.”

Last year, the governor also rewarded Aminat Yusuf, LASU’s 2023 best-graduating student, with N10 million.

Yusuf, who studied law at LASU, made history as the first undergraduate in 40 years to achieve a 5.0 CGPA.

Lagos State University has infused technology into its pedagogy by adopting hybrid teaching for general courses.

The Vice-Chancellor, Mrs Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, made this known at LASU’s 27th Convocation Lecture on Tuesday.

The convocation lecture had the theme: “Embracing the Future: Navigating the Intersection of Technology and Humanity”.

She said the infusion allowed students to receive lectures anywhere around the campus without being in crowded classrooms for courses with a large number of students.

“We also use technology to conduct virtual examinations, which earned the university accolades from far and wide, including its recognition as the most digitally advanced state university in Nigeria, at the Nigeria Information Technology Awards.

“These innovations have not cost any staff their jobs nor has any student been short-changed in any way; rather, it has improved their learning and service delivery experiences.

“Technology has continued to enhance our lives and the ways we communicate, educate our learners, move around and do business,” she said.

The vice-chancellor noted that it had been argued that technology was separating man from common humanity, making him more isolated, eroding his privacy and hampering his abilities for genuine empathy.

“Not all people agree with these positions, but these observations need to be addressed.

“It is, therefore, imperative that we find a balance between technology and humanity by harnessing the power of technology to improve our lives and humanity in general,” she said.

Olatunji-Bello said that LASU was committed to leveraging technology to enhance service delivery to make life better for its staff and students.

In his remarks, the chairman of the event, Emeritus Prof. Peter Okebukola, said: “Humanity and technology intersect into each other because of the impacts on social values, morals, education and others.

“We thank a former Governor of Lagos State, during his tenure, Dr Babatunde Fashola, for elevating LASU and increasing its budgetary allocation and research innovation,” he said.

Chukwuma Soludo, governor of Anambra state, has appointed a governing council for Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU).

Soludo appointed Chidi Odinkalu, a former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), as pro-chancellor of the university, and Bianca Ojukwu, a former ambassador and widow of the late Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, as a member of the council.

Other members of the council are Ifeoma Ekwueme, Christopher Ndubuisi, and Oranu Chidume.

In a statement by Christian Aburime, the governor’s media aide, Soludo said the new council is assembled with a focus on excellence, integrity, and strategic leadership.

He said the council is expected to provide guidance and oversight for the continued growth and development of the state-owned university.

On May 9, the governor appointed a five-member governing council for the Nwafor Orizu College of Education in Nsugbe.