The University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka has said it admitted only 11,885 students from among no fewer than 120,000 candidates who sat the 2020 and 2021 Unified Matriculations Examination (UTME) and applied to study at the undergraduate level in the university.
The vice-chancellor of the university, Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, made this disclosure at the matriculation ceremony held on campus last Friday.
He said the new students were the combination of 2020 and 2021 UTME candidates, who are most qualified for admission with 70 per cent of them picked from the former and the rest from the latter.
He said the university combined both exams and admitted only 30 per cent of the last UTME candidates so as not to deny the entire applicants admission.
While congratulating them and their parents, he urged them to be diligent, focused and law abiding to enable them to do well in their studies and other activities expected of them and also graduate in record time.
Prof Ogundipe told them that UNILAG had a zero-tolerance for all form of social vices including cultism, hooliganism, examination malpractice, sexual harassment, fighting and so forth, stressing that any student who runs foul of any of these ills will face the law.
He also told them to be actively involved in studentsโ union activities and within the limit of the law and in other legitimate activities that would prepare them well for leadership positions in future.
He said the university on its part was well-positioned to support them in making their studentship worthwhile.
Meanwhile, a total of 50 students, who are either indigents or physically challenged among the new and returning students were given a computer tablet each during the ceremony.
The 50 students representing the first batch of beneficiaries of the 3,500 pieces of the information technology device donated to the university by the Zenith Bank Plc in conjunction with the Jim Ovia Foundation.
The distribution was jointly done by the vice-chancellor and the representative of Zenith Bank Plc, Mr Dennis Olisa, who is one of the executive directors of the bank even as other deserving students are expected to collect theirs also in batches later.
The vice chancellor thanked Zenith Bank Plc and its Chairman, Mr Jim Ovia for donating the tablets branded with Zenith Bank and UNILAG logos, saying the device would certainly lessen the financial burden of beneficiaries and also aid their studies.
In his remark, the representative of Zenith Bank, Mr Dennis Olisa said the bank believes so much in UNILAG as an ivory tower that produces high-grade manpower and research that solve societal problems, hence the consistent collaboration by the bank with the school.
He said the quality the graduate of the university is made of is evidence in the performances of the bank workers who are alumni of the university.
He promised that the bank and Jim Ovia Foundation would continue to support the university in any capacity possible.
