Lagos State University (LASU) has announced another major national success after one of its engineering students secured a N50 million Student Venture Capital Grant. The university disclosed this on Friday, May 1, via its official X handle, @LASUOfficial, describing the development as another boost to its growing reputation in innovation and entrepreneurship.
Student Winner and Project
The award winner, Taiwo Goodness Ukwedje, a 300-level student of Electronic and Computer Engineering at the Epe Campus, was received by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, at the university’s main campus in Ojo. Ukwedje’s achievement comes shortly after another student from the Lagos State University College of Medicine also clinched the same N50 million grant, making it two major wins within a short period for the institution.
University officials said the competition was highly intense, with more than 30,000 applicants nationwide. They described the latest winner as someone who stood out clearly in a crowded field. Ukwedje presented his project, a housing platform known as “D-Rentals,” which is designed to reduce cases of student accommodation fraud by connecting users to verified housing options. He said the platform is expected to go live in the next academic session.
University Support and Recognition
Speaking during the reception, the Vice-Chancellor praised the student’s performance and described the feat as evidence of LASU’s commitment to innovation-driven education. She urged him to make good use of the grant and assured him of continued institutional support. Senior academics and officials from the Epe Campus and Faculty of Engineering were present at the event, where they also commended the student’s work and the university’s training system. The event ended with a vote of thanks from a senior university registrar representative.
Related Achievements
In a related development, LASU alumna Aminat Yusuf, who graduated with a perfect 5.0 CGPA in Law, was named the 2026 Rhodes Scholar for West Africa. The legal scholar made history as LASU’s first-ever graduate with a perfect GPA, earning global recognition after excelling through a rigorous selection process that secured her a fully funded postgraduate study at the University of Oxford.
Additionally, Covenant University in Ota, Ogun State, recorded the highest proportion of first-class graduates in Nigeria in 2024, with about one in five students graduating with top honours. Data from StatiSense showed that the University of Benin (UNIBEN) led in total number of first-class graduates with 385, while other institutions such as FUTA, UNILAG, and UNILORIN also featured prominently in the rankings. The report further revealed a wide gap between private and public universities, with private institutions recording about 17% first-class output compared to roughly 3% in public universities, sparking public debate online.
