Excitement was in the air on Thursday as the Dean, Faculty of Technology, Prof. Olaosebikan Fakolujo, announced that a total of 43 graduating students bagged First Class Honours in Faculty of Technology, University of Ibadan while 112 others made Second Class Upper division.
Fakolujo spoke at the induction of 293 2018/2019 graduates of the Faculty as members of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.
The Don, who noted that industrial and economic developments could be fast tracked in the country with investment in technology, stated that the induction which ought to have held last year was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ASUU strike.
The graduate members of NSE expressed joy on the successful completion of their programme and expressed optimism that they would contribute their quota for national growth and development.
When interviewed, the best graduating female student, Favour Aiyegbeni, stated that the success was by dint of hard work and passion for engineering, stressing, “I didn’t want to go out there without knowing what I know. It was such a motivation to be the best at what I knew. That pushed me. I see myself doing a lot on robotics and AI. I have actually started working on stuffs like that and I see myself also delving into business as a consultant and business owner.”
Best graduating student, male, Emmanuel Nwachukwu, urged government to make the environment safe and conducive for thinkers and innovators to thrive, noting, “Africa’s greatest resource is her people but when the environment is not right it would be very difficult to flourish. I don’t see looking oversees as an end; it’s a means of building competence. I can then go and know how to do it better and come back here and solve problems.”
Fakolujo said, “I am highly excited to inform this gathering that 43 of them, which constitute 14.7per cent, graduated with First Class honours. Two are from the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, one is from the Department of Civil Engineering 18 are from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, 10 are from the Department of Industrial and Production Engineering, nine are from Department of Mechanical Engineering and three are from the Department of Petroleum Engineering.
“A total of 112 graduated with Second Class Honours, Upper Division while 127 of them graduated with Second Class Honours, Lower Division, 10 with Third Class Honours and one graduated with a Pass.
“It is crucial for you to identify with the reality that Nigeria needs to cease from being a consuming nation and wake up from her slumber by engaging in productive activities that can guarantee rapid industrialisation, earnings from exportation and economic transformation. Technological development is undoubtedly a prerequisite to industrialisation and economic development in any nation of the world.”
Fakolujo, who held that the country must cease from being a consuming nation by catalysing industrialisation and technological growth, urged the graduands to acquaint themselves with modern technical and management skills so as to be relevant in their chosen fields locally and internationally.
“I am glad and confident that the today’s inductees have received very sound engineering training that will make them a spectacular workforce desired for impactful national and international technological advancement and growth. There is need for you to continuously acquaint yourselves with modern technical and management skills acquisitions that will make you an excellent asset for the emerging economy of the world. To be relevant engineers in the emerging economy, you are expected to constantly be abreast with the state-of-art skills and technology in order to be well prepared for critical roles in the core areas.”
