Prof Tayo Wraps Up Service at Babcock, Delivers 217 PhDs and 241 First-Class Degrees
On Sunday, Babcock University in Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, achieved yet another significant milestone by graduating 241 students in the First Class grade and a record 217 scholars with Doctors of Philosophy.
At its 2025–2023 convocation, the first private university in Nigeria to open for business graduated 3,229 students.
A major turning point in the institution’s history was also reached at the convocation: Prof. Ademola Tayo, the president and vice chancellor, will formally retire in December 2025 after ten years of revolutionary leadership.
The Babcock University Centre for Open and Distance e-Learning (BUCODeL), which delivered its first batch of 55 graduates, also achieved a historic first.
In an emotional speech, outgoing Vice-Chancellor Prof. Tayo looked back on ten years of progress under his direction, stating that the university saw major advancements in academic and infrastructure development during the big ceremony hosted at the main campus.
In addition to graduates, he declared, “today we unleash ambassadors of faith, excellence, and moral leadership.” As I end this chapter, I am filled with thankfulness.
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“I am happy to note that the university’s faculty members have won numerous research grants for life-changing projects in the last year, even as graduates of the school continue to take leadership roles in various spheres of life,” he said, referring to his departure from the position as VC on December 1, 2025.
The university’s administration was praised by Chancellor Prof. Bassey Idoh for their diligence and dedication to turning out graduates who are making a meaningful contribution to their communities.
The Department of Economics’ Fatimah Lawal was the top graduating student overall, with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.97 on a 5-point scale.
Similarly, Oladele Alabi and Emmanuel Okpechi were the best postgraduates in the PhD program overall, with a combined CGPA of 4.91 on a 5-point scale, while Oluwabamise Adeniyi was the best Master’s degree graduate overall, with a CGPA of 4.89 out of a possible 5.0.
At seventy-one, Dr. Bolaji Frederick Olusegun became the oldest individual to earn a PhD in law.
