The 15th Convocation Ceremony of Osun State University, Osogbo, took an emotional turn when the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Odunayo Clement Adebooye, broke down in tears while remembering students who tragically lost their lives earlier this year. His voice cracked as he called out the names of the deceased, leaving the audience in solemn silence.
The hall, filled with jubilant parents, graduating students, and dignitaries, was suddenly gripped with grief as the Vice-Chancellor recalled the accident of March 23, 2025, near Ikire, where a collision involving a luxury bus claimed the lives of five students returning home after examinations. His tears underscored the depth of pain the university community still carries.
One after the other, he mentioned their names — Olagbemile Dotun, a 200-level Software Engineering student; Sulaiman Adedayo, a 400-level Law student; Ogundare Pelumi, a 300-level Public Health student; Ogundare Elijah, a 100-level Mechanical Engineering student; and Olawuyi Mary, a 200-level Nursing student. The VC paused between each name, struggling to hold back emotions, and the audience responded with a wave of murmurs, sighs, and bowed heads.
The atmosphere was heavy as many present reached for handkerchiefs, joining the Vice-Chancellor in mourning the departed. He noted with pain that Elijah and Pelumi were siblings, “children of the same mother,” a reminder of the double blow suffered by a single family. The mention of this fact broke the last emotional barrier, and the Vice-Chancellor was momentarily unable to continue his speech.
In the midst of this sorrow, he recalled with some relief that one student, Olagbemile Damilola, a 200-level Bachelor of Medicine student, survived the accident. He described the survival as a glimmer of hope in a season of loss, urging the community to remain grateful even in mourning.
The Vice-Chancellor’s voice shook as he extended heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, praying for divine comfort and strength to bear the irreplaceable losses. He admitted openly that the tragedy left him personally shattered, confessing that he wept in private for days after the confirmation of the deaths. “It is not easy to stand here today and call out their names,” he said, fighting back tears.
He went on to commend the families for their resilience and the wider Nigerian society for their solidarity during the crisis. According to him, the support from the state government, the National Assembly, unions, banks, and the federal government helped the university bear the weight of the calamity. “Nigeria stood with us in our darkest hour,” he remarked.
Even as the convocation ceremony was meant to be a celebration of academic triumphs, the Vice-Chancellor stressed that the institution could not pretend as though nothing had happened. “These were our children too,” he said, affirming that the university’s bond with its students goes beyond academics. “Their absence today leaves a void in our hearts.”
The tears of Prof. Adebooye reminded the graduates and the wider audience that education is not just about degrees, but also about the community of lives shaped and shared within the university. His emotional breakdown became a collective mourning session, one that turned the convocation into both a moment of celebration and a tribute of remembrance.
