24 Years Akokite Bags Phd, Breaks African Record

A new academic record was set in Africa on Wednesday when a 24-year-old student of the University of Lagos, Hallowed Olaoluwa, bagged a doctorate degree in Mathematics for the 2012/2013 session.

With a cumulative grade Point average of 5.0, Olaolu­wa had the best Ph.D thesis, as well emerged the young­est African scholar, displac­ing Olabisi Adeyemi who had graduated from the same insti­tution with 4.98 in 2012 at the age of 26, as well as Opeyemi Shodipe of Babcock univer­sity who graduated the same year at 25.

The award was conferred on him and other 104 stu­dents who had successfully completed their Doctor of Philosophy at the concluding convocation ceremony of the university, held at the Multi-purpose Hall.

Olaoluwa, an indigene of Ekiti State, was honoued in the presence of the former Head of State, General Yaku­bu Gowon, the Executive Sec­retary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof Ju­lius Okojie, who represented the Visitor to the university, President Goodluck Jonathan, the Pro Chancellor of the uni­versity, Prof Jerry Gana, the former Vice Chancellor of UNILAG and Vice Chancellor of Ondo State University of Science and Technology (OS­USTECH), Prof Tolu Odug­bemi, among other dignitaries.

Full of excitement, Olaolu­wa said he completed his Ph.D programme in three years. He told Daily Sun that he enrolled for his first degree at Central African Republic at the age of 15, below the minimum age requirement set for Nigerian universities by the NUC.

Born in 1989 in Bangui, Central African Republic, he had a First Class and second degrees in Mathematics and Physics in 2007 and 2008, at the age of 18 and 19 respec­tively. Like a destined child, he already had two degrees at a time his mates in Nigeria were battling with their Uni­fied Tertiary Matriculation Examination and its attendant rigorous post-UTME.

Aside Olaoluwa’s record performance, 21-year-old graduating student of Electri­cal and Electronics Engineer­ing, Bakre Oluwafemi Abuba­kar, smiled home with the Best Graduating Student for the un­dergraduate programme, with a CGPA of 4.86.

While commending the out­standing performance of the students, the Vice Chancel­lor, Prof Rahamon Ade Bello, said 89 of them finished in First Class division, 1,293 in Second Class Upper division, while 2, 261 obtained Second Class Honours, Lower divi­sion. Also, 752 of the graduat­ing students had Third Class Honours division, while 513 had Pass degrees.

He congratulated the par­ents of raduands on their en­durance, despite the endless demands by their wards dur­ing the course of their studies.

Addressing the graduat­ing students and the cheering audience, Prof Jerry Gana prayed divine blessings on the various degrees conferred on the students.

He charged the young graduates to create the future they want, and never to wait on others to take the initiative.