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The Aliko Dangote Foundation has pledged ₦600 million to build a girls' hostel at Lagos State University and offered first-class graduates in engineering and the sciences preferential consideration for jobs at Dangote Group.
The commitments came at LASU's combined 29th and 30th convocation ceremonies at the Buba Marwa Auditorium on the Ojo campus, covering the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic sessions. The university disclosed the details on its Facebook page on Friday.
The pledge is worth about $432,000 at ₦1,390 to the dollar, according to Billionaires.Africa calculations, and is earmarked specifically for female student accommodation.
Graduates taking up the employment offer would join after completing the National Youth Service Corps programme. Some accounts of the ceremony indicate the placements would be at the Dangote Refinery, though the company has not confirmed that.
Dangote did not attend. His daughter, Fatima Aliko Dangote, represented him and accepted an honorary Doctor of Business in entrepreneurship, industrial and human capital development on his behalf. The university conferred honorary doctorates on Akin Kekere-Ekun and Bola Adesola at the same ceremony.
Lagos State governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who serves as visitor to the university, donated ₦20 million each to the two overall best graduating students. Ayilara Lawal Olawale finished the 2024-25 session in project management technology with a cumulative grade point average of 4.96, and Adebanjo Samuel Oluolamide took the 2025-26 session in aerospace engineering with 4.97.
Outgoing vice-chancellor Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello told the ceremony the university had generated roughly ₦13 billion in internally generated revenue over four years.
Deputy governor Obafemi Hamzat attended alongside the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and the university's chancellor, Oba Olufolarin Ogunsanwo.
The foundation has expanded its education spending this year. It signed a 20-year agreement this week to run a vocational training centre in Kano, and has said it plans further investment in secondary and tertiary education, teacher training, science and technology subjects, and technical and vocational education.
Dangote remains Africa's wealthiest person. The Bloomberg Billionaires Index tracked his fortune at $34.8 billion in July, up $4.86 billion for the year, with his refinery at Ibeju-Lekki becoming Europe's largest supplier of jet fuel and diesel during the disruption caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
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