Agbami graduates 32 first class students from UNILAG in 2015 /2016 session

The Agbami Scholarship scheme, has produced another set of 32 outstanding graduates from the University of Lagos, UNILAG in the 2015/2016 academic year.
The Agbami Scholarship is being sponsored by a Chevron company, Star Deep Water Petroleum Limited, Famfa Oil Limited, Statoil Nigeria Limited, Petroleo Brasileiro Nigeria Limited and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.
In a three-day graduation ceremony taking place within the premises of UNILAG, starting from Tuesday January 24 – Thursday January 26, saw a total of 12,617 students, comprising of 6,900, representing 54.7 percent obtaining first degrees and 5,717 representing 45.3 percent with postgraduate degrees.
Out of the graduating students, a total of 132 finished with Distinction for first class honours, 843 with Second Class Upper, 1,313 with second class lower division, 573 in third class, 34 with Pass degrees, and 426 passed with degrees not usually classified in Medical disciplines and Pharmacy.
Out of the 132 first class graduates, Agbami Scholarship produced 32.
Worthy of note is that, out of the two best graduating students for the session, one, a female System Engineering student, Miss Omotuyi Oyindamola Ajoke, was one of the beneficiaries of the scholarship. Oyindamola graduated with a 5.0 Cumulative Grade Point Average, CGPA.
Speaking on her achievement, Oyindamola said it took the wisdom of God to make her goal.
“Achieving the feat was wisdom from God. I also had good friends with whom I read. Another thing is that I was interested in my course rather than making just good grades. I am grateful for the Agbami scholarship and I thank the scheme for providing me with such great platform,”she said.
Another graduating student, Victor Chineke, a Chemical Engineering student with a 4.72 CGPA, said the scholarship helped him a lot.
“I was in my 200 level when I got the scholarship. My parents had no money to fund my education so I applied for the scholarship, wrote the exams, passed and I worked hard to maintain my grades,”he said.
Manager, Policy/Government and Public Affairs, Chevron Lagos, Sam Otunonye, said the Agbami scholarship is part of the company’s educational policies to sponsor the less privileged yet brilliant Nigeria students through school.
“I am very happy because we did not waste money. Our investment was worth it. The selected students went through rigorous exams because the scholarship is competitive. Overall, we have 320 first class students graduating all over Nigerian Universities but just 32 from UNILAG. Since the inception of the scholarship in 2009, we have spent over 7 billion naira on students,”he said.
6500 undergraduates are currently on the Agbami.
In 2015/2016 session, 320 made first class, 497 second class upper and 1729 second class lower.
15,356 scholarships have been awarded since inception.
The co-ventures have constructed, furnished and donated the following across the country : 26 fully equipped science laboratory complexes to schools, 5 hybrid libraries and 2 conventional libraries to schools.
Apart from the Agbami scholarship, NNPC/Chevron JV also provide other national, community and physically challenged scholarship programs.
During the convocation ceremony, outgoing Vice  Chancellor of the University of Lagos, UNILAG, Professor Rahamon Bello, called on Nigerians to embrace President Buhari’s Change mantra to free the nation from its ” current burden”.
According to him, President Buhari’s fight against insecurity and corruption is part of what Nigeria needs to get put of “the burden it currently carries as a result of long periods of not paying full attention to our infrastructure needs while developing high tastes for foreign goods”, he said.
Bello also commended Buhari for his efforts of changing the mindsets of Nigerians on corruption and corruption related issues, urging him to maintain the fight.
Meanwhile, Professor Jerry Gana has announced his retirement from UNILAG.
He made the revelation during the convocation ceremony.
According to him, the 2015/2016 set will be his last session in the institution.
He was part of the school’s Senate Council.
He would be retiring alongside other members of the school’s Senate.
“I have been privileged to work with the best Vice Chancellor and I also thank members of the school’s Senate for their support in bringing out the best set of students in Nigeria today. As I will be bowing out alongside other members of Senate, and even the VC, this will be his last convocation with the school, I thank everyone for their support,”he said.