By ALEX ENEBELI

The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) is set to graduate 12,895 students at its 55th Convocation, with 168 of them to be awarded First Class honours.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, disclosed this on Wednesday during the 55th Convocation Press Briefing held at the university’s Business School Auditorium, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus (UNEC).

Ortuanya said that 10,641 graduands would receive first degrees and diplomas, including the 168 First Class graduates, while 2,944 students would be awarded higher degrees.

According to him, the higher degrees comprise 1,390 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees, 1,340 Master’s degrees and 214 Postgraduate Diplomas.

He said the university would also confer honorary doctorate degrees on four distinguished personalities in recognition of their contributions to leadership, public service and human development.

The vice-chancellor listed the recipients to include the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu; Chief Williams Agbo; Dr Kaycee Orji; and Dr William Richardson.

He added that two eminent scholars of the institution, Profs. Peter-Jazzy Ezeh and Boniface Obinna Okere, would be honoured with the title of Professor Emeritus.

He described the convocation as a celebration of academic excellence and the fulfillment of the dreams of thousands of graduates and their families.

Ortuanya said the convocation lecture would be delivered on July 23 by the state Governor, Peter Mbah, under the Chairmanship of the 12th Vice-Chancellor of UNN and current Vice-Chancellor of the University on the Niger, Umunya, Anambra, Prof. Chinedu Nebo.

He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to repositioning UNN as a global competitive institution through quality teaching, research, digital innovation, entrepreneurship and community engagement.

He said that within the past 11 months, the university had embarked on extensive rehabilitation of ageing infrastructure across its campuses.

The vice-chancellor listed the major projects to include the reconstruction of internal roads, rehabilitation of student hostels, ongoing work on the long-abandoned Senate Building, construction of hostels and laboratories at the College of Medicine, Ituku-Ozalla, and restoration of the university’s physical environment.

He said that the administration had also recorded significant academic milestone, including the increase of the MBBS admission quota from 180 to 400 and Dentistry from 15 to 60 following accreditation by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.

He added that the National Universities Commission had approved the unbundling of the Department of Mass Communication into five specialised degree programmes to align with global communication trends.

Ortuanya said the ongoing projects and academic reforms reflected the university’s determination to restore confidence, strengthen academic excellence and secure a brighter future for generations of students. (NAN)

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