Kwara rewards law school’s top two graduates with ₦5m each, scholarships

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has rewarded two indigenes who emerged as the overall best and second-best graduating students at the 2026 Nigerian Law School graduation ceremony with ₦5 million each and pledged to sponsor their postgraduate studies abroad.

The governor announced the rewards in a Facebook post on Wednesday after hosting the two outstanding graduates at a reception in Ilorin.

The beneficiaries are Israel Adekunle Adeniyi from Offa, who emerged as the overall best graduating student at the Nigerian Law School graduation ceremony in Abuja, and Oluwatomisin Promise Daniel, an indigene of Idofin Igbana in Oke Ero Local Government Area, who finished as the second-best graduating student.

Both scholars studied Law at the University of Ilorin before proceeding to the Nigerian Law School.

AbdulRazaq said he received the duo to celebrate their remarkable academic achievements and inspire other young people in the state to pursue excellence.

The governor said: “Yesterday in Ilorin, I hosted two academic wonders — Israel Adekunle Adeniyi and Oluwatomisin Promise Daniel — who recently won our state new laurels at the 2026 Nigerian Law School Graduation in Abuja.

“Israel, from Offa, was the overall best graduating student at the ceremony, while Oluwatomisin, an indigene of Idofin Igbana in Oke Ero, was the second-best graduating student for the same year. Both legal scholars graduated from the University of Ilorin, Kwara State.”

Explaining the reason for the gesture, AbdulRazaq said recognising excellence was necessary to encourage more students to distinguish themselves academically.

He said: “I felt it was necessary to personally honour their hard work, commitment, and brilliance to motivate others to also do well and make their families and our state proud.”

The governor added that the state government would also support the graduates’ ambition of pursuing postgraduate studies at top universities abroad.

“In addition to the cash gifts of ₦5 million apiece, I was fascinated by their plans of going for their Master’s degrees at some Ivy League institutions across the Atlantic, and I accordingly pledged to fund this academic endeavour once they secure their admission.

“This is our token of appreciation for their hard work and dedication. We care for excellence and hard work in any field,” he added.

AbdulRazaq also dismissed the growing notion that education no longer guarantees success, pointing to the achievements of the two young lawyers as proof that dedication to academics still pays off.

“In what gives a lie to the ‘school is a scam’ refrain these days, Israel and Oluwatomisin are already doing very well after school as young legal scholars, and I wish them all the best that life has to offer,” he said.

The governor congratulated the two graduates on their outstanding accomplishments and wished them continued success in their legal careers.

𝕤𝕖𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖/𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕠 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖