The University of Uyo, located in Akwa Ibom State, has announced that a remarkable 174 students will graduate with first-class honors as part of the institution’s upcoming 2024 convocation ceremony. This significant event, set to take place on Saturday, will see a total of 12,450 students graduating from the university. n

During a pre-convocation briefing held on Tuesday in the Council Chambers of the university, Vice Chancellor Prof. Nyaudo Ndaeyo provided a detailed breakdown of the graduands. He emphasized the importance of this year’s ceremony, describing it as a combined celebration of the 29th and 30th convocations in the university’s history.

“This year’s convocation marks yet another significant milestone for this administration,” Prof. Ndaeyo stated. He went on to provide a comprehensive breakdown of the graduates, noting that the total number of graduands includes 303 PhD students, 608 Master’s degree candidates, and 246 postgraduate diploma holders, contributing to a total of 1,167 postgraduate graduands.

For the undergraduate programs, there are 4,823 graduates from the 2020/2021 academic session, including 56 who earned first-class honors. The classifications for these graduates are as follows: 1,737 with second-class upper division, 2,336 with second-class lower division, 412 with third-class degrees, and 282 who achieved pass degrees. This brings the total for the 2020/2021 session to 4,823 graduates. Additionally, there are 176 diploma graduates and 5 certificate recipients, adding up to a subtotal of 5,004.

From the 2021/2022 academic session, the university has produced 6,012 graduates with the following classifications: 118 first-class honors, 2,306 with second-class upper division, 2,895 with second-class lower division, 481 with third-class degrees, and 212 who achieved pass degrees. The subtotal for this session also includes 235 diploma graduates and 32 certificate holders, totaling 6,279 graduates.

In summary, the Vice Chancellor reported that the total number of postgraduate graduands is 1,167, while the total for undergraduate graduands is 10,835. The combined total of diploma graduates is 411, and there are 37 certificate graduates, culminating in a grand total of 12,450 students set to graduate.

Prof. Ndaeyo also announced that three distinguished Nigerians—Chief Effiong Afiakure, Mrs. Halima Zakaria, and Dr. Itanwan James—will be honored with honorary degrees from the university. Furthermore, Professor Akpan Ekpo, an expert in Public Finance Policy, will receive the honorary title of Emeritus Professor, while three outstanding faculty members will be conferred with honorary distinguished professor degrees. These esteemed professors include Professor Enefiok Essien, SAN, from the Faculty of Law; Professor Godfrey Udoh from the Department of Estate Management; and Professor Essien Urua from the Department of Linguistics and Nigerian Languages.

In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor also took the opportunity to highlight the achievements of the university under his administration, addressing the various challenges faced by the institution. These challenges include equipment theft, inadequate funding, encroachment on university land, and a shortage of manpower in critical fields of study, exacerbated by the federal government’s employment embargo.