Oba Oloyede Adekoya Akinghare II, the Arujale-Ojima of Okeluse in Ondo State, has graduated from Afe Babalola University with a degree in Political Science. The monarch completed his studies at the university’s 14th convocation in Ado-Ekiti on Wednesday, 21 October 2026.
Akinghare, 23, became ruler of Okeluse in 2019 following his father’s death, while he was still in secondary school. His university graduation follows years of combining education with responsibilities to the kingdom in Ondo State’s Ose Local Government Area.
In a message posted on his Instagram account and reproduced by Intel Region, the monarch thanked the chiefs who managed the kingdom’s affairs during his studies. He also acknowledged his Chief of Staff’s coordination of official duties while he was away at university.
“To the Okeluse Council of Chiefs, thank you for holding down the affairs of the kingdom while I was away pursuing my education,” he wrote.
His appreciation extended to people who helped pay his school fees, as well as his mother, sisters and wider family. He credited their financial and personal support alongside the work of the palace officials. The message also thanked the university management, lecturers and fellow students who supported his time on campus.
The university milestone was preceded by the completion of his final-year project. In May, Akinghare said he had successfully defended the work in ABUAD’s Department of Political Science, within the College of Social and Management Sciences, according to QED’s account of his academic progress.
“Combining the demands of the palace with academic work has been quite challenging, but God has been faithful throughout the journey,” he said then. He described the work as requiring discipline and sacrifice, while thanking relatives, chiefs, associates and friends for helping him continue.
Akinghare had completed his secondary education at Greater Tomorrow International College in Ondo State in August 2022. His announcement at that time thanked the school’s proprietor and staff, alongside his family and subjects. Channels Television’s contemporary report recorded his account of spending six years in boarding school before graduation.
Traditional rulers at the October convocation included the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi; the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye III; the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe; and the Ogoga of Ikere-Ekiti, Oba Samuel Adu Alagbado. Their attendance was reported by Punch and QED.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Smaranda Olarinde said the university’s graduating class comprised 2,194 students, including 1,759 undergraduates and 435 postgraduates. Her welcome address, reported by The Genius Media, placed Akinghare’s ceremony within a larger university celebration that also produced 286 first-class graduates.
ABUAD’s official programme had scheduled 21 October for the award of bachelor’s, postgraduate diploma, master’s and doctoral degrees. Its convocation activities began with a press conference on 14 October and included professional induction ceremonies, a play, sporting events and a thanksgiving service.
The programme also scheduled the graduating students’ induction into the university’s alumni association for 20 October, following a convocation lecture on education and national development. The scheduled speaker was Obiora Okonkwo, whose announced lecture topic concerned functional education, strategic human capital development and national renewal.
Archive image: Olayemi Orolade / MediaMOF, Afe Babalola University entrance, 30 June 2021. This photograph does not show the monarch or the 2026 convocation. Original 1000 × 667 pixels. Source; CC BY-SA 4.0. Prepared crops and brightness adjustments are available under the same licence.
