The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan (UI), Professor Kayode O. Adebowale, has urged the institution’s first-degree graduates to uphold the values of excellence, integrity, and service as they step into the next phase of their lives.
He gave the charge on the first day of the 2025 Convocation Ceremonies, where graduands from the Faculties of Arts, Science, Basic Medical Sciences, Clinical Sciences, Public Health, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences were awarded their first degrees.
Addressing the graduates, Professor Adebowale reminded them that their degrees mark not an end, but the beginning of a lifelong pursuit of knowledge, wisdom, and impact.
He noted that while the journey ahead may present challenges, the University of Ibadan has equipped them with the courage, creativity, and resilience needed to thrive.
“Go forth and be light in dark places; be the voice of reason in times of confusion; be the hands that build, the minds that innovate, and the hearts that inspire,” he said.
The Vice-Chancellor emphasised that every UI graduate is a prime asset to national development, describing the institution as a beacon of intellectual leadership and national pride.
He highlighted the far-reaching influence of UI alumni in Nigeria’s academic, political, industrial, economic, and cultural spheres, noting that many have served as presidents, governors, ministers, captains of industry, celebrated academics, religious leaders, and cultural icons.
Reaffirming the university’s commitment to academic excellence, inclusivity, and strong global competitiveness, Professor Adebowale said UI continues to strengthen its curriculum, expand research capacity, and improve its facilities.
This, he noted, is despite national challenges such as funding constraints, infrastructural decay, brain drain, and increasing technological disruptions.
“These challenges have tested UI’s resolve to remain Nigeria’s best university, but they have also inspired innovation and a renewed commitment to our mission,” he stated.
The Commencement Speaker, Dr. Abel Kehinde Adegoke, Principal and Senior Executive Partner at Hamilton Medical Centre, Birkenhead, United Kingdom, and a distinguished alumnus, also delivered an inspiring address.
He described UI as the place where he not only earned a degree but acquired skills and values that shaped his life and career.
He shared that the University taught him Resilience, Respect, and Resourcefulness, stressing that intelligence alone is insufficient without character, perseverance, and compassion.
Dr. Adegoke urged the graduates to embrace resilience, describing it as the ability to transform obstacles into opportunities. “Resilience is not built when life is easy; it is forged when you are pushed to your limits,” he added
He encouraged the class to navigate a rapidly changing world, one shaped by Artificial Intelligence, climate change, disappearing old job roles, and emerging new ones, with confidence and adaptability.
He reminded them that they are equipped not just with certificates, but with the capacity to learn, create, innovate, and lead, urging, “Carry the UI spirit of excellence, integrity, and service with you,” he charged.
The ceremony also featured the presentation of prizes to the best graduating students and other outstanding awardees from the participating faculties.
