OAU CONVOCATION: AN AVENUE TO ENLARGE THE COAST OF YOUR STOMACH

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Obafemi Awolowo University began its 47th Convocation Ceremony on Wednesday 6th December, 2023. The Convocation Ceremony week is a week students look forward to because it is a week of students celebrating with their senior colleagues and also getting plates of food and drinks to last for days.

Over time, the Convocation Ceremony is a celebratory ceremony where degrees are conferred upon graduating students. In this ceremony, the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Provost, and Faculty Deans are dressed in regalia to award students who emerge as the best in the whole university and at the faculty level when on stage. Once graduates are hooded and cross the stage, they have officially graduated.

The OAU community most especially the students all popped up for the Convocation rice and drinks as several WhatsApp platforms tagged ‘CONVO RICE UPDATE’ were created before the celebration, and this platform would be used to share updates about where food is being shared, and immediately after the convocation days, those platforms would be deleted because it has served its purpose.

Fulfilling and making sure this ministry does not wither or fail, students would be seen going from tent to tent with coolers, spoons, and nylons in their bags as an alternative for when plates have been exhausted and there is food. While some students will not accept foods without meat or fish, some will not even care and will even eat rice with their bare hands not minding if anyone sees them or not.


Many students, especially the stalites would see the convocation food as an avenue for them to satisfy themselves to the fullest as they will keep collecting food from the graduands they know and those they do know not. Different tactics are deployed to make sure that the ministry is fulfilled. ‘Congratulations Mummy and Daddy, your son was the one who taught me in tutorial when I was in part 1 and I passed’. Elated by this testimony about their son or daughter, parents dish out food and drinks to the supposed person taught by their son and daughter. Their whim has always been that ‘dem (the graduands) don chop people’s own before, na person go chop mine too’ meaning that the convocation food is normal and inevitable, it is also turn by turn, they too will graduate one day, and the students of that time will eat their convocation food too.

Even some fresh students are not left out in this ceremony as they also see it as an avenue to make sure that their foodstuffs which are about to be exhausted are saved for a day or two. Meanwhile, some fresh students especially those who are religious on the other hand would say that there a certain spiritual influences attached to convocation food, and most graduates may utilize those foods in exchange for glory or fortunes. Hence, they will neither go with their peers in search of convocation food nor collect food even when someone willingly gives it to them.

Beyond the hustling of food and drinks, the Convocation season is a time to network and meet with people who are also in the business of ‘doing good’ The season enables the student to interact and meet with new friends as it promotes unity among students, an example that surfaced is the ‘Convo Rice Updates’ WhatsApp platform.

The 47th Convocation Ceremony continues today for students from the Faculties of Agriculture, Environmental Design and Management, Technology, Pharmacy, and College of Health Sciences. Get ready to hunt for food whether you got it yesterday or vice versa.

OAU is for learning and culture. Convo Rice is inevitable, it’s part of the culture.

By Ayanfe Oluwafemi

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