Dangote pledges ₦600m for LASU girls’ hostel, offers jobs to first-class graduates

Businessman and industrialist Aliko Dangote, through the Aliko Dangote Foundation, has pledged ₦600 million towards the construction of a hostel for female students at Lagos State University (LASU).

The foundation has also offered employment opportunities to first-class graduates in Engineering and Sciences from the university.

LASU disclosed the development on its Facebook page on Friday, saying the commitments were made during its combined 29th and 30th Convocation Ceremonies for the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 academic sessions.

Dangote, who was represented at the ceremony by his daughter, Hajia Fatima Aliko Dangote, was also conferred with an Honorary Doctor of Business Honoris Causa in Entrepreneurship, Industrial and Human Capital Development.

According to the university, the ₦600 million pledge will support the provision of accommodation for female students.

LASU also said first-class graduates in Engineering and Sciences from the graduating classes would be considered for employment by the Dangote Group after completing their National Youth Service Corps programme.

The university said, “First-class graduates in Engineering and Sciences from the graduating class would receive preferential consideration for employment with the Dangote Group after completing their National Youth Service Corps programme.”

The interventions were presented as part of efforts to improve student welfare, promote academic excellence and create opportunities for graduates.

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Information presented during the ceremony indicated that the Dangote Group currently has more than 52,000 employees across Nigeria and 11 other African countries. Its Dangote Academy also provides practical training for graduates seeking careers in the industrial sector.

The Aliko Dangote Foundation operates an education scholarship scheme and has announced plans to invest $70 million annually over the next decade in areas including secondary and tertiary education, teacher development, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), as well as technical and vocational education.

The announcement came as LASU marked the graduation of 20,604 students from the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 academic sessions, with 494 students graduating with First Class honours.

For the 2024/2025 session, Ayilara Lawal Olawale of the Department of Project Management emerged as the university’s overall best graduating student with a CGPA of 4.96.

In the 2025/2026 session, Adebanjo Samuel Oluolamide of the Department of Aerospace Engineering emerged as the overall best graduating student with a CGPA of 4.97. Both students graduated with First Class honours.

LASU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, said 262 students earned First Class honours in the 2024/2025 academic session, while another 232 achieved the same feat in 2025/2026.

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Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, also rewarded academic excellence at the institution by donating ₦20 million each to the two overall best graduating students.

In his final convocation address as Visitor to LASU, Sanwo-Olu congratulated the graduates, their families, sponsors and lecturers, while highlighting various investments made by his administration in the university.

These include the construction and commissioning of the Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu Library Complex, lecture theatres, halls and student accommodation.

The university has also increased its accommodation capacity, with more than 50 infrastructure projects completed through funding from the Lagos State Government, Federal Government, TETFund, private-sector support and internally generated revenue.

Dangote was one of three prominent Nigerians honoured with honorary doctorate degrees during the ceremony. Others were Akin Kekere-Ekun, OFR, and Harriet-Ann Omobola (Bola) Adesola, who were recognised for their contributions to leadership, business and societal development.

The Chancellor of LASU, Oba Dr Olufolarin Olukayode Ogunsanwo, Telade IV, described the convocation as an occasion for “joy, humility and gratitude.”

He also praised the Lagos State Government for its continued backing of the university and its investments in education, human capital development, technology and infrastructure.

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