The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Professor Folasade T. Ogunsola, OON, FAS, on Thursday, September 17, 2026, commissioned the new Student Experience Hub and remodelled Boardroom of the School of Postgraduate Studies (SPGS), UNILAG.
The ceremony, which was held at the SPGS Building, formed part of activities marking the formal inauguration of the SPGS Board for the 2026/2027 Academic Session.
In his address, the Dean of SPGS, Professor Abraham Osinubi, described the ceremony as a demonstration of the School’s commitment to creating the best possible experience for its staff, students, alumni and stakeholders.
While appreciating the Professor Folasade Ogunsola-led University Management for its support and commitment to the SPGS vision of the School, Professor Osinubi reaffirmed the School’s resolve to promote value, establish systems that motivate people, and contribute meaningfully to the advancement of postgraduate education in Nigeria.
According to him, the newly commissioned Student Experience Hub was designed to inspire, motivate and promote excellence in research and innovation. He added that other facilities, including the Staff Lounge, were intended to support staff recreation, well-being and productivity.
The Dean disclosed that with a current student population of over 25,000 and more than 15,000 applications for the 2026/2027 Academic Session, the School of Postgraduate Studies is progressing towards becoming a full-fledged institute.
In her remarks, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, OON, FAS, congratulated Professor Osinubi and his team for the innovations being introduced into the School, noting that the improvements extended beyond its academic programmes to include infrastructural upgrades.
Professor Ogunsola noted the growing importance of knowledge and innovation in the global economy, stressing that the University of Lagos must remain actively engaged in the creation of original ideas capable of addressing contemporary challenges.
In her words: “We can’t afford to be academically lazy or make excuses not to do what we signed up to do. We must be solution providers, and our solutions must be contemporaneous and contextual.”
Formally inaugurating the 2026/2027 SPGS Board, the Vice-Chancellor charged members to move beyond merely identifying problems to developing knowledgeable, practical and context-specific solutions.
She urged the Board and the wider academic community to look inward, challenge existing assumptions, and explore the potential of Nigeria’s natural and intellectual resources for national development. She cited the growing global acceptance of African cuisine, fashion and arts as evidence of the value that can emerge when local creativity and resources are effectively developed and presented to the world.
The Vice-Chancellor further called on academics to approach national challenges with a research mindset and a commitment to national progress, emphasising the need for scholarship to translate into solutions that respond to real societal needs.
Professor Ogunsola also addressed the place of artificial intelligence in research and academic work. While cautioning against over-reliance on the technology, she advised against its criminalisation and advocated instead for its ethical and purposeful deployment.She stressed that AI should complement, rather than displace, human thinking and intellectual curiosity, particularly in the formulation of research questions and the pursuit of knowledge.
In her words: “You have come to a place of responsibility, and our quality and standards are dependent on the quality of our SPGS.”
The high point of the ceremony was the formal commissioning of the Student Experience Hub, comprising a reception area, two syndicate rooms, a Doctoral Academy section and a Staff Lounge.The Vice-Chancellor also commissioned the newly remodelled SPGS Boardroom.
Together, the facilities represent the School’s efforts to provide a more supportive and functional environment for postgraduate students and staff, while strengthening the institutional structures that underpin research, innovation, academic administration and the development of advanced knowledge.
Report: Gbenga Gbelee
Photograph: Ayo Oloyede
