The University of Uyo (UNIUYO) in Akwa Ibom State is set to celebrate a remarkable milestone, as 174 students will be awarded first-class honours during a historic combined convocation ceremony on Saturday. The event marks the institution’s 29th and 30th convocations, with a total of 12,450 graduands ready to receive their degrees.
During a pre-convocation briefing on Tuesday, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Nyaudo Ndaeyo detailed the impressive figures: “This year’s convocation is yet another very significant milestone for this administration.” The breakdown of the graduates includes 303 PhD recipients, 608 Master’s Degree holders, and 246 Postgraduate Diploma graduates, totaling 1,167 for postgraduate degrees.
In the undergraduate categories, the Vice-Chancellor announced that for the 2020/2021 session, there were 56 first-class degrees among 4,823 bachelor’s graduates. The 2021/2022 session saw an increase, with 118 students achieving first-class honours out of 6,012 undergraduate degrees awarded.
The full tally includes 10,835 undergraduate students, alongside 411 diploma and 37 certificate graduates, contributing to the grand total of 12,450.
In addition to the students’ achievements, the university will confer honorary degrees upon three distinguished Nigerians: Chief Effiong Afiakure, Mrs. Halima Zakaria, and Dr. Itanwan James. Furthermore, Prof. Akpan Ekpo will receive the honorary title of Professor Emeritus, while esteemed faculty members Prof. Enefiok Essien, SAN, Prof. Godfrey Udoh, and Prof. Essien Urua will be awarded honorary Distinguished Professor degrees.
In his remarks, Prof. Ndaeyo highlighted the university’s strides under his leadership while addressing ongoing challenges such as equipment theft, inadequate funding, land encroachment, and a shortage of staff in critical areas due to federal employment restrictions.
