Reported Simon Daniel Yusuph l journalist at wengglobal
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has announced a personal cash reward of ₦20 million each for two students who emerged as the overall best graduating students of Lagos State University (LASU) for the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 academic sessions.
The gesture, announced during LASU’s combined 29th and 30th Convocation Ceremonies, brings the total value of the governor’s personal cash awards to ₦40 million and places renewed attention on academic excellence, student achievement and the importance of recognising outstanding performance within Nigeria’s public university system.
The beneficiaries are Ayilara Lawal Olawale, who emerged as the overall best graduating student for the 2024/2025 academic session, and Adebanjo Samuel Oluolamide, who was recognised as the overall best graduating student for the 2025/2026 session.
Reports by The Independent, Legit.ng, Daily Report and Leadership confirmed the governor’s announcement, with the outlets reporting that each of the two graduates will receive ₦20 million. (Independent Newspaper Nigeria)
Two academic performances recognised
Ayilara Lawal Olawale distinguished himself during the 2024/2025 academic session with a 4.96 CGPA in Project Management.
A congratulatory message published by the Badagry Local Government Council identified Ayilara as a son of Vlekete-Posukoh in Badagry and described his academic performance as an exceptional achievement. The council said his 4.96 CGPA reflected discipline, resilience and commitment to academic excellence. (Badagry Local Government)
His achievement represents another example of the growing number of Nigerian university graduates demonstrating that academic excellence remains an important pathway to recognition and opportunity, despite the broader challenges confronting tertiary education in the country.
Adebanjo Samuel Oluolamide, meanwhile, emerged as the overall best graduating student for the 2025/2026 academic session. According to Leadership, Adebanjo, of the Department of Aerospace Engineering, recorded a 4.97 CGPA to take the overall position among the graduating students. (Leadership)
The performances of the two graduates were particularly significant because they came from different academic sessions and different disciplines, allowing LASU to celebrate excellence across its graduating cohorts.
LASU graduates more than 20,000 students
The recognition came during a major convocation programme in which LASU graduated 20,604 students across the two academic sessions.
According to Leadership, the graduating population comprised 991 diploma holders, 16,274 first-degree graduates and 3,383 postgraduate students.
Among the first-degree graduates, 232 obtained First Class honours, while 3,545 graduated with Second Class Upper, 4,157 with Second Class Lower, 678 with Third Class and 31 with Pass degrees. (Leadership)
The figures provide a broader context for the achievement of the two award recipients. Their emergence as the overall best graduates came from a very large pool of students graduating across several faculties and programmes.
It also underscores the competitive nature of university education and the significance of finishing at the top of an institution with thousands of graduating students.
Governor’s reward builds on previous recognition of LASU graduates
Sanwo-Olu’s latest gesture is not the first time he has financially rewarded LASU’s best graduating student.
In April 2025, the governor awarded ₦10 million to Isioma Sybil Nwosu, who emerged as LASU’s best graduating student for the 2023/2024 academic session.
Nwosu, a Biochemistry graduate from the Faculty of Science, finished with a CGPA of 4.93. The award was announced during LASU’s 28th Convocation Ceremony. The Punch reported at the time that Sanwo-Olu also reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to investment in infrastructure and student welfare in Lagos State’s tertiary institutions. (Punch Newspapers)
The reward for the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 best graduates therefore represents an increase in the governor’s individual recognition of top academic performers.
In 2024, Sanwo-Olu also awarded ₦10 million to Mubaraq Olaniyi Olawale, the overall best graduating student at LASU’s 27th Convocation. Olaniyi graduated in Accounting Education with a 4.98 CGPA. Vanguard and the International Centre for Investigative Reporting were among the outlets that reported the award. (Vanguard News)
The progression from ₦10 million awards to ₦20 million each for the latest two best graduates indicates a stronger emphasis on high-value recognition of academic achievement.
Recognition comes amid LASU’s 29th and 30th convocation
The awards formed part of LASU’s combined 29th and 30th Convocation Ceremonies, covering the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 academic sessions.
LASU had earlier announced that the combined convocation activities would run from August 12 to August 23, 2026, with different academic and ceremonial events taking place at its Ojo and Epe campuses. (Lagos State University)
The programme includes the presentation of degrees, diplomas and postgraduate qualifications, as well as the conferment of honorary doctorate degrees.
The university’s schedule reflects the scale of the ceremony and the number of graduates being formally admitted into the wider professional and academic community.
The convocation has also provided an opportunity for the university to celebrate its academic achievements and highlight individuals whose performances stand out among the graduating cohorts.
Academic excellence and the value of incentives
The governor’s decision to attach a substantial financial reward to academic excellence raises a broader question about how public officials and institutions can encourage students to pursue high academic standards.
Financial incentives are not a substitute for quality teaching, functional laboratories, research facilities, adequate staffing or affordable education. However, recognition of outstanding students can serve as a motivational tool and can help demonstrate that academic achievement has tangible value.
For many Nigerian students, the financial realities surrounding university education remain challenging. A reward of ₦20 million can potentially provide significant support to a young graduate beginning a professional career, pursuing postgraduate education or developing an entrepreneurial venture.
The broader significance of such awards, however, lies beyond their monetary value.
Public recognition can provide graduates with greater visibility and may encourage younger students to view academic excellence as an achievement worth pursuing.
For universities, awards of this nature can also contribute to a culture in which students are encouraged to compete constructively through scholarship, innovation, research and leadership.
The importance of responsible recognition
While celebrating the two graduates, it is important to distinguish academic recognition from the broader challenges facing Nigeria’s higher education system.
Universities across the country continue to contend with infrastructure deficits, funding pressures, research limitations and concerns about graduate employability.
Recognising individual students does not resolve those systemic challenges.
However, it can complement broader investments in education if such recognition is accompanied by sustained support for teaching, research, technology, infrastructure and staff development.
Sanwo-Olu has repeatedly identified education as an important component of his administration’s development agenda. At a recent convocation at Babcock University, where he delivered a lecture to graduating students, he urged young Nigerians to embrace innovation, resilience and courage as they transition into professional life. The Punch reported that the governor encouraged graduates to remain adaptable in an increasingly technology-driven world. (Punch Newspapers)
His latest intervention at LASU similarly places emphasis on achievement and the transition from university education into the wider economy.
What the award means for the two graduates
For Ayilara and Adebanjo, the ₦20 million award represents both recognition and an opportunity.
Beyond the immediate financial value, the public acknowledgement places both graduates in a position to become ambassadors of academic excellence and examples to students who are still pursuing their degrees.
Their achievements also demonstrate the importance of consistency. Academic excellence at university level requires sustained performance across several semesters rather than success in a single examination.
The figures recorded by both graduates — 4.96 and 4.97 CGPAs — indicate the exceptionally high academic standards required to finish at the top of LASU’s graduating population.
For the university, their performances provide an opportunity to showcase the academic potential of its students while highlighting the need to continue creating an environment in which talented young Nigerians can thrive.
A wider message for Nigeria’s education sector
The recognition of LASU’s best graduating students comes at a time when education remains central to debates about Nigeria’s economic future.
With the country seeking to expand its digital economy, strengthen technical capacity and develop a more competitive workforce, universities are expected to produce graduates capable of contributing to innovation, research, industry and public service.
Academic excellence alone does not guarantee professional success, but it provides an important foundation.
The responsibility now shifts to the graduates to translate their academic achievements into practical contributions to society.
For Ayilara and Adebanjo, the governor’s award can therefore be viewed not simply as a financial gift but as a public vote of confidence in their potential.
Their next challenge will be to convert the recognition received at graduation into meaningful professional, entrepreneurial, research or civic contributions.
Wengglobal perspective
Sanwo-Olu’s ₦20 million reward to each of LASU’s two best graduating students is significant because it combines financial recognition with a broader message about the value of education.
The award does not erase the structural challenges facing Nigeria’s universities, nor should individual excellence be used as a measure of the entire education system.
But it sends a clear signal that outstanding academic performance deserves recognition.
As LASU celebrates more than 20,000 graduates from the two academic sessions, the achievements of Ayilara Lawal Olawale and Adebanjo Samuel Oluolamide offer a reminder of the talent emerging from Nigeria’s public universities.
The immediate responsibility now rests with the graduates, the university, government and society to ensure that academic excellence is followed by opportunities for meaningful employment, innovation, research and national development.
For Wengglobal, the story is ultimately about more than a ₦20 million reward. It is about recognising merit, encouraging excellence and ensuring that Nigeria’s brightest young graduates have the opportunity to turn academic success into measurable impact.
Sources
- The Independent – Sanwo-Olu Rewards LASU’s Best Graduating Students With N20m Each
- Leadership – LASU Graduates 20,604 Students at 29th/30th Combined Convocation
- Legit.ng – Sanwo-Olu Announces N20m for LASU’s Top Graduates
- The Punch – Sanwo-Olu Gifts LASU Best Graduating Student N10m
- Vanguard – Meet Olaniyi, LASU’s Best Graduating Student
- Lagos State University – Official University News
