The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), will graduate 12,895 students, including 168 First-Class graduates, during its 55th Convocation Ceremony, marking another milestone in the institution’s commitment to academic excellence.
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Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, disclosed this while briefing journalists ahead of the commencement of the convocation activities at the Enugu Campus.
According to him, 10,641 students will receive first degrees and diplomas, while 2,944 graduands will be awarded postgraduate qualifications. The postgraduate category comprises 1,390 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees, 1,340 Master’s degrees, and 214 Postgraduate Diplomas (PGDs).
Prof. Ortuanya described the convocation as a celebration of academic achievement and the university’s renewed commitment to teaching, research, innovation and national development.
As part of the ceremony, the university will confer honorary doctorate degrees on four distinguished Nigerians in recognition of their outstanding contributions to national development. The recipients are Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu; businessman and philanthropist, High Chief William Agbo; architect, Dr. Kaycee Kelechi Orji; and Dr. William Franklyn Richardson.
The institution will also honour two distinguished academics, Prof. Peter-Jazzy Ezeh and Prof. Boniface Obinna Okere, with the prestigious title of Professor Emeritus for their exceptional contributions to scholarship and the university.
The Vice-Chancellor noted that the convocation lecture will be delivered by Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, while former UNN Vice-Chancellor and current Vice-Chancellor of the University on the Niger, Prof. Ositadinma Nebo, will chair the event.
Reviewing his administration’s achievements over the past eleven months, Ortuanya highlighted several academic and infrastructural milestones. He revealed that the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria approved an increase in the university’s MBBS admission quota from 180 to 400 students, while the Dentistry quota rose from 15 to 60 following successful accreditation exercises.
He further disclosed that the National Universities Commission (NUC) approved the unbundling of the Department of Mass Communication into five specialised degree programmes and granted full accreditation to new courses, including Agribusiness, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Industrial Arts, and Criminology and Security Studies.
On digital transformation, the Vice-Chancellor said the university has established a Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Laboratory, commenced the digitisation of its Central Library, and is modernising administrative processes to improve efficiency and transparency.
He also highlighted ongoing infrastructure projects across the university’s campuses, including the rehabilitation of student hostels, reconstruction of internal roads, expansion of facilities at the College of Medicine, and the resumption of work on the Senate Building.
Prof. Ortuanya reaffirmed the university’s vision of repositioning UNN as a globally competitive institution through quality teaching, cutting-edge research, entrepreneurship, innovation and strategic international partnerships.
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