By Ghazali Ibrahim
The University of Ibadan (UI) has announced that 58 students from its Faculty of Law graduated with first-class honours for the 2024/2025 academic session, a development that has sparked national attention and discussion.
According to confirmation from Professor Idowu Olayinka, former vice-chancellor of UI, the results, approved by the University Senate on February 16, 2026 which show that 58 out of 146 law students earned first-class degrees. He revealed the figures on his verified Facebook page after the Senate meeting.
The achievement quickly trended on social media, with many students, alumni and academic observers celebrating the feat as a testament to the law faculty’s academic rigour and the students’ dedication. Supporters have lauded the performance as evidence of strong legal training at Nigeria’s premier university.
Some commentators, however, questioned the unusually high number of first-class results, suggesting it may reflect broader concerns about academic standards. In response, Professor Olayinka defended the outcome, describing criticisms as unwarranted and ill-informed.
Olayinka argued that the high entry requirements for UI’s law programme help set students up for success. He noted that the admission cutoff mark for law in the latest session was higher than many other competitive programmes, positioning students to excel academically throughout their five-year course of study.
He also highlighted the Faculty of Law’s long history of excellence, pointing out that UI law graduates have consistently performed well in the Nigerian Law School’s bar examinations, reinforcing the credibility of the results.
On social media platforms such as X, the news drew widespread praise from current students, alumni and legal professionals, many describing the results as inspiration for future law students and recognition of the faculty’s teaching quality.
The achievement adds to UI’s academic reputation, coming after a previous report that the university had produced hundreds of first-class graduates across various disciplines in the same academic session.
As discussions continue around the implications of the high number of first-class honours, education stakeholders have called for balanced perspectives that both celebrate student success and uphold rigorous academic standards nationwide.
