By Debbiemuse
The University of Ibadan (UI) has announced a six-day programme for its 2026 Convocation and Foundation Day ceremonies, scheduled to hold from November 11 to 17, featuring the admission of graduands to various degrees, two convocation lectures and the conferment of honorary degrees.
The programme, contained in a special release dated October 20 and signed by the Registrar, G. O. Saliu, outlines academic ceremonies, religious services, a health rally, career and business fairs, and a command performance.
The honorary degrees will be conferred on November 17 during the final day of the ceremonies at the International Conference Centre. The recipients are Kingsley U. Aigbokhaevbo, Deputy Managing Director of Providus Bank, and Olusola Adejoke David-Borha, Chairman of Stanbic IBTC Holdings.
Furthermore, the six-day convocation will feature the admission of graduands to first degrees, postgraduate diplomas, master’s degrees, doctoral degrees and other higher qualifications across the university’s faculties and institutes.
The ceremonies will begin on Wednesday, November 11, with the admission of first-degree graduands from the Faculties of Arts, Science, Basic Medical Sciences, Clinical Sciences, Public Health, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Pharm. Olayemi Oladiran, Chief Operating Officer of English-Speaking West Africa at Groupe Ethica, will deliver the commencement address.
On Thursday, November 12, graduands from the Faculties of Agriculture, Social Sciences, Veterinary Medicine, Technology, Law, Economics and Management Sciences, and Renewable Natural Resources will be admitted to their first degrees. Kayode Aloyinlapa, Founder and Managing Director of Askariot Homes Ltd, will deliver the commencement address.
Then, the third day, Friday November 13, will feature first-degree graduands from the Faculties of Education and Environmental Design and Management. Folajimi Olambo Fakoya, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of EdutechPortals Solutions, is scheduled to deliver the commencement address.
Postgraduate Schedule
Saturday, November 14, will feature the award of postgraduate diplomas and the admission of master’s and M.Phil. graduands from designated faculties and institutes. Later that day, a command performance of Twingle Twangle: A Twynning Tayle, written by Femi Osofisan and directed by Olusegun Michael Olabode, will be held at the Wole Soyinka Theatre. The performance is restricted to guests.
The Foundation Day Service will take place on Sunday, November 15, at 10 a.m. at the Chapel of the Resurrection.
On Monday, November 16, the university will continue the admission of postgraduate diploma, master’s and M.Phil. graduands across several faculties and institutes, including the Pan African University Life and Earth Sciences Institute (PAULESI).
The day’s programme will also feature the second convocation lecture at Trenchard Hall by Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, Vice-President of Sierra Leone. His lecture is titled The Enduring Promise of Nigeria-Sierra Leone Relations: From Shared Origins to Shared Prosperity.
The final day, Tuesday, November 17, will feature the conferment of honorary degrees, alongside the admission of doctoral graduands from PAULESI and the University of Ibadan, as well as graduands receiving the Doctor of Medicine degree.
Other activities
Prior to all this, preparatory activities will begin on Sunday, November 8, with the SME Fair at the International Conference Centre. The fair, themed Scaling Emerging SMEs for Global Impact: From Innovation to Sustainable Growth, will run for two days.
Kingsley Aigbokhaevbo, Deputy Managing Director of Providus Bank, is scheduled to deliver the keynote address on the first day, while Professor Ruth O. Adio-Moses of the Department of Peace, Security and Humanitarian Studies, Faculty of Multidisciplinary Studies, will speak on the second day.
A Career Fair themed From Lecture Halls to Boardrooms: Preparing UI Graduates for the Workplace will follow on Thursday, November 5, with Jeff Bordes, Chief Executive Officer of Astria Learning, as keynote speaker.
Other activities include a Jumu’at service at the UI Mosque on Friday, November 6, and a Night of Music at Trenchard Hall on Sunday, November 8.
The university will also hold the UI Research Forum on Monday, November 9, focusing on advancing adolescent and youth health in Africa through science, innovation and co-created policy options. Professor Babatunde Lawal Salako, former Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, is scheduled to deliver the keynote address.
A health rally is scheduled for Tuesday, November 10, at the International Conference Centre, followed by the university’s convocation exhibition at the Institute of African Studies. A rehearsal for university management, provosts, deans, faculty officers and ceremonial committee members will take place later that day.
The programme culminates in the conferment of honorary degrees and the admission of higher-degree graduands on November 17.
