Chrisland Schools Sends Off Class Of 2026, Charges Graduands To Stay ‘Anchored In Values’

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Chrisland Schools Limited within the week held its joint valedictory service and prize-giving ceremony, in Lagos, where 327 graduating students from the school’s five secondary campuses were formally sent off into the next phase of their lives, under the theme “Anchored in Values, Launched for Greatness.”

The event drew an impressive turnout of dignitaries, including the Chairman/Founder of Chrisland Schools and Chancellor of Chrisland University, High Chief Dr (Mrs) Winifred Awosika; the First Lady of Lagos State, Dr (Mrs) Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu;
the Chairman of the occasion, Senator Dr Adeleke Mamora; the Lagos State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Hon. Jamiu Alli-Balogun; and the Guest Speaker, Dr Glory Enyinnaya, an alumna of the school and Academic Director at Pan-Atlantic University, among other clergy, parents, and well-wishers.

In her welcome address, the Managing Director of Chrisland Schools, Mrs Ibironke Olatokunbo Adeyemi, described the ceremony as a moment of profound gratitude to God for the graduating students’ achievements.

She disclosed that the school’s brightest performer in this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Eze Somtobena, recorded an aggregate score of 362, with fifteen other students scoring between 321 and 353.

“These remarkable achievements are not just numbers; they are proof that at Chrisland Schools, students are empowered to excel, compete nationally, and shine globally,” she said.

Mrs Adeyemi used the occasion to trace the growth of the Chrisland brand from a single nursery and primary school established at Ladipo Oluwole in 1977 to a network of sixteen schools and a university across Lagos, Abuja, and Ogun State.

She paid tribute to the school’s founder, describing her as having planted “a mustard seed” that has since “grown into an oak tree.”

Charging the graduating students, she urged them to “think big and stay focused,” pursue excellence, see challenges as opportunities, and resist negative peer pressure.

“Dare to stand out, hold fast to your values, and let your uniqueness be the light that guides your path,” she told them.

Chairman of the occasion, Senator Mamora described investment in young people as unmatched by any other, noting that “buildings do age, technologies change, economies rise and fall,” but a well-grounded young person “blesses generations.”

He left the graduating class with five charges, urging them never to stop learning, since “it is only the dead that stop learning,” and to build their lives on character rather than achievement alone, noting that people may forget examination scores but “will remember whether you kept your word.”

Representing the First Lady of Lagos State, Dr (Mrs) Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, at the event, Mrs Mojisola Agbaje of the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO) commended Chrisland Schools for its consistency in shaping the younger generation, noting that true greatness, in line with the year’s theme, is anchored on “integrity, honesty, respect, compassion, diligence, humility, and service to humanity,” stressing that “skills may open doors, but it is character that keeps those doors open.”

Mrs Agbaje further advised the graduating students against compromising their integrity in the pursuit of success, telling them that “your certificates will introduce you, but your character will sustain your reputation.”

She commended parents and teachers for their sacrifices, and reaffirmed the Lagos State government’s commitment to youth-focused programmes in education, healthcare, and social inclusion.

The guest speaker, Dr Glory Enyinnaya, an alumna of the school, charged the students to identify their unique gifts and use them in service of others rather than personal gain alone.

“Your gifts are not only for you. Ask yourself, ‘Whose life will be better because I exist?’” she told the graduands, adding that every great life is “carried by people and lived for people.”

Dr Enyinnaya, who shared the personal experience of losing her mother shortly before her own university graduation, urged the students to express gratitude to those who supported their academic journey.

“Think of your parents, guardians and families, those who prayed, paid, waited and believed in you,” she said, admonishing them to go home and thank their parents for their Chrisland education.

She warned the graduating class that commitment would be tested most in seasons when “nobody notices what you are doing,” long after the excitement of graduation day fades, adding that a Chrisland graduate’s character “can open the door for another Chrisland graduate.”

The highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of the Managing Director’s Honour Awards to outstanding students across categories: Darren Moyosore Ohiomoba, Chrisland High School, Lekki won Academic Excellence; Doreen Okoduwa Chinasa, Chrisland High School, VGC won the
Sports and Physical Excellence award, while Akinlabi Oluwafeyikemi Esther from Chrisland High School, VGC went home with the Creative and Performing Arts award.