By Ibukun Emiola
A 71-year-old retiree, Dr Bolaji Ojo-Oba, who performed the matriculation ceremony, on Wednesday in Ibadan, was among 4,430 fresh students admitted into the University of Ibadan for the 2025/2026 academic session.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ojo-Oba, a former Secretary-General of the Nigeria Football Federation and former Commissioner for Information, Culture, Youth and Sports in Oyo State, was admitted to study Law.
“I have always had interest in studying law and now that I am less busy I decided to pursue my dream of studying law,” Ojo-Oba said.
In his address, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, said that the newly admitted students emerged from a rigorous admission process.
According to him, 46,916 candidates applied to the university through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board as their first-choice institution.
He said 4,171 students were admitted through the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) while 259 gained admission through Direct Entry, bringing the total to 4,430 students.
According to the vice-chancellor, the admitted students represented 9.4 per cent of the total number of applicants, describing the process as highly competitive.
Adebowale advised the students to uphold the university’s culture of discipline, diligence and academic excellence throughout their stay in the institution.
In a matriculation lecture titled “University Education: The Journey, The Gains and The Responsibilities,” the lecturer, Dr Olusola Ayoola, urged the new students to embrace hard work, integrity and personal responsibility in their academic pursuits.
Ayoola, the Founder of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence in Nigeria (RAIN) said that university education goes beyond acquiring certificates.
He said that education should shape students’ character, critical thinking and contributions to society.
Ayoola encouraged the students to take advantage of the opportunities available within the university environment to develop themselves academically and socially.
At the ceremony, the students were formally admitted into the university community after they took the matriculation oath administered by the institution’s registrar, Mr Ganiyu Saliu.
(NAN)
