A total of 967 students were formally conferred membership of the Thomas Adewumi University (TAU), Oko-Irese, Kwara State on Saturday with the Founder and Chancellor, Engineer Johnson Adewumi and the Pro-Chancellor, Professor Victor Olanrewaju giving tips for achieving academic success.
Giving her speech, Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Francisca Onaolapo Oladipo noted that the 6th matriculation ceremony held on Saturday, February 21, 2026, was the beginning of ‘an exciting and transformative journey for the new 939 undergraduate and 29 postgraduate students’, adding that the event marks ‘a significant milestone in their lives’, as they embark on ‘a path of academic pursuit, personal growth, and lifelong learning’.
She added that it was also a special event because the institution has just welcomed its first set of MBBS and B. Radiography students as well as postgraduate students.
Submitting that Thomas Adewumi University has continued to grow in leaps and bounds since opening its doors for 66 students when it came into being in 2021, Professor Francisca Onaolapo Oladipo also talked about the ‘selling points’ of the institution.
‘At barely five years old, TAU is ranked 4th among all the 13 universities in Kwara State, 6th among all 168 private universities, and 45th among all the 312 universities in the country. We are a sustainability leader. Our campus is powered by solar, and we produce up to 75% of our food through sustainable agriculture.
We have a College of Medicine, a School of Postgraduate Studies, a Centre for Distance and E-Learning, a Foreign Language Centre and we have earned the trust and partnership of MIT (who allow us to host a mirror of their OpenCourseware on our campus to serve students from English-speaking subSaharan African countries), IBM through the SkillsBuild initiative, Harvard, Stanford, Cornell, UC Berkely, and, Microsoft, through edX, Google, through Coursera and the exploreCSR and institutions across three continents’ she said.
The VC also told the new students that before leaving the university after completion of studies, they must ensure that they can demonstrate functional fluency in up to four UN languages, beyond ‘our primary language of instruction (English)’ through ‘our Foreign Language Centre’, which according to her offers programmes in French, Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), and German. Arabic for Business. Chinese for Trade. French for Diplomacy. German for Science and Technology while submitting that ‘these are not extras but your global passport’.
The new members of the university should also according to the VC earn a minimum of two industry–recognized microcredentials through ‘our partnerships with edX, Coursera, IBM SkillsBuild, Microsoft Emerging Academy, Oracle Academy, Huawei Technologies, and MIT OpenCourseWare, CIMA-AICIPA, ICANN. With our edX initiatives’, adding that ‘you will graduate not with one certificate but with a portfolio of verified competencies obtained from Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Columbia, Berkeley, RUDN University, Russia, Amazon and Google in areas of Artificial intelligence, Data Science, Cloud Computing, Project Management, Cybersecurity, Digital Marketing, etc. These are the skills employers are paying for and we are ensuring you have them before they can even ask’.
‘They should also demonstrate entrepreneurship and practical skills: TAU does not produce job seekers. We produce job creators. Whether through our entrepreneurship curriculum, our skills-building workshops, our Vocational and Technical Education Centre, or our FSI-Mentors Without Borders programme, where our students are mentored by professionals from Microsoft, Google, and Atlassian, you will leave here equipped not just to fit into the economy, but to shape it. Start a company, build a product, solve a problem. Nigeria does not need more applicants but rather more founders. Earned no less than 60 hours of Community service’ she added.
The VC also noted that the university has zero tolerance for examination malpractice, indecent behavior, bullying and harassment and indecent dressing.
The Pro-Chancellor, Professor Victor Olanrewaju, in his speech, noted that matriculation ceremony marks the start of a journey while the destination is the graduation ceremony.
Professor Victor Olanrewaju noted that for the freshers to get to the desired destination, five things are important and he listed this to include being disciplined and responsible, being focused, being obedient, avoiding phone distractions, ensuring proper management of time and getting close to God.
Giving his speech, the Founder and Chancellor, Engineer Johnson Adewumi also gave tips for achieving academic success while noting that being disciplined and proper time management are important .
He also noted that no degree will be awarded on the basis of spending hours on the internet while asking the new members of the university to attach importance to coming up with innovations and avoiding unproductive use of digital technology.
Engineer Johnson Adewumi also said Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq is working hard and doing the needful to ensure security of lives and property in the state adding that a lot is being done in this regard.
Urging the matriculated students to make good use of the facilities on campus in respect of skill acquisition, he also noted that earning a degree is not a meal ticket but rather a way of empowering students to gain confidence.
Highlights of the event include the oath taking segment that started at 10.19 am and the declaration made by the Vice-Chancellor at 10.25 am that the 967 students have been formally admitted to the university.
One of the matriculated students, Bakare Deborah Jaiye told Team@orientactualmags.com that she chose TAU because she was told that it is a top-class institution of academic excellence, innovation, and creativity while adding that she had since gotten convinced that she made the right choice..Â
‘TAU is a good university and I’ve heard so much about it. They are so disciplined and the institution has zero tolerance for bad behaviour. They shape their students and they bring the best out of them.
Spiritually, academically and physically, and even socially things are being done right here. Just the few days that I’ve been here, most of the people that I’ve met have been there for me in respect of spiritual life, and academic assistance’ she said.
Adeola Umar Wuraola, a student at the Department of Criminology and Security Studies, also said TAU is an institution that provides a good enabling environment for learning.
‘Actually, not a hundred percent thing, but I will say eighty percent because it’s only God that is perfect and can be hundred percent right. They’re actually trying, academically, morally and every other thing, they’re trying’ she said.
‘The question is complicated because my dad actually heard about the institution. So, he told me about it, I applied and I was given admission. When I got here, I saw that my expectations were met’ Adeola told Team@orientactualmags.com when asked how she got to know about TAU-Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08035023079, 08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com. Thank you
