UNILORIN Mechanical Engineering Graduate Who Won Awards Bags First-Class Degree, Shares CGPA

• Lateef Muftau graduated from the University of Ilorin with First Class Honours in Mechanical Engineering, finishing among the top 5 in a department of 96 students
• Muftau balanced his academic work with a growing remote career in UI/UX, graphic, and motion design for companies across multiple industries
• He also won awards for academic excellence and represented his department as a student leader throughout his five-year programme

Lateef Muftau, a mechanical engineering graduate from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, has taken to LinkedIn to celebrate earning First Class Honours with a CGPA of 4.55 out of 5.0, placing him among the top five students in a department of 96 and in the top three per cent of more than 11,000 graduates in his set.

Reflecting on five years of study, Muftau described the journey as a constant balancing act between maintaining high academic performance, building a design career, and protecting his mental health.

He wrote of late nights, humbling setbacks, and moments of self-doubt, but said he kept showing up one semester at a time.

UNILORIN first-class engineering graduate won awards

Muftau's university record stretched well beyond his grades. In his second year, his team placed second in an Interdepartmental CAD Competition, an early sign, he noted, that his effort could hold its own against the best. He went on to receive an Academic Advancement Excellence Award within his faculty and an Academic Students' Representative Award in his department for supporting fellow students with their grades — a role he said deepened his own understanding of his coursework.

He also participated in the Community-Based Engineering Service programme, spending two weeks applying engineering and non-technical skills in a rural community alongside fellow students.

At the same time, Muftau was building a parallel career as a UI/UX, graphic, and motion designer, working remotely for tech, real estate, and fintech companies. He won a UI design challenge organised by MALhub in Ilorin and volunteered his skills with Google Developer Groups On Campus at the University of Ilorin, the Engineering Projects Exhibition, and ASHRAE UNILORIN, collecting awards and certificates along the way.

UNILORIN first-class engineering graduate appreciate lecturers

In his LinkedIn post, Muftau offered warm acknowledgements to those who shaped his journey. He singled out Professor Kayode Adegun, who supervised his undergraduate project and remained a mentor throughout; his level adviser, Dr Hassan Kobe Ibrahim, whom he described as a father figure on campus; and the Head of Department, Professor Habeeb Ajimotokan, whose openness made every student feel supported.

He also thanked every lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, along with his family and friends.

Muftau made clear that graduation is a milestone rather than a destination. He described his ambition as becoming a world-class engineer who solves real problems, and said everything the past five years taught him would feed directly into the next chapter of his career.

In a related story, UNILAG's best graduating student shared how he was rejected by the University of Ibadan, while another graduate staged a one-man protest over unemployment.

LASU BGS shares admission experience

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the Lagos State University's (LASU) best graduating student opened up about her admission experience.

In an insightful interview with Legit.ng, the young lady shared her admission struggle, experience in school, and future goals.