By Chioma Onuegbu, Uyo

The University of Uyo (UNIUYO) will award First Class Honours degrees to 174 graduands during its 29th and 30th combined convocation ceremony scheduled for this weekend.

Professor Nyaudoh Ndaeyo, Vice Chancellor of the University, announced this during a pre-convocation media briefing at the University Main Campus in Nwaniba, Uyo. He noted that a total of 10,835 graduands will receive Bachelor’s degrees for the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 academic sessions.

“This year’s convocation marks another significant milestone in the life of this administration. It is also worth noting that this is the second convocation under my tenure as the 8th substantive Vice-Chancellor of UNIUYO,” he said.

He emphasized that once this year’s convocation concludes, there will be no remaining backlog of convocations at the University. The combined convocation will see a total of 12,450 graduands.

The breakdown of the graduands is as follows: for Ph.D. degrees, there are 313; for Master’s degrees, 608; and for Postgraduate Diplomas, 246, totaling 1,167. In the 2020/2021 session, there are 4,823 Bachelor’s degree recipients, including 56 First Class, 1,737 Second Class Upper, 2,336 Second Class Lower, 412 Third Class, and 282 Pass degrees, along with 176 Diplomas and 5 Certificates, bringing the total to 5,004.

For the 2021/2022 session, there are 6,012 Bachelor’s degree recipients, including 118 First Class, 2,306 Second Class Upper, 2,895 Second Class Lower, 481 Third Class, and 212 Pass degrees, along with 235 Diplomas and 32 Certificates, totaling 6,279.

In summary, the postgraduate graduands number 1,167, while undergraduate graduands total 10,835, with Diploma graduands at 411 and Certificate graduands at 37, resulting in a grand total of 12,450 graduands across both sessions.

The Vice Chancellor also announced that Honorary Degrees will be conferred upon three eminent Nigerians: Chief Effiong Daniel Afiakurue, Mrs. Halima Suleiman Zakari, and Dr. Itanwan Ita James. An Honorary Professor Emeritus Degree will be awarded to Professor Akpan H. Ekpo, a professor of Public Finance Policy. Additionally, three distinguished professors will receive Honorary Distinguished Professorships: Professor Enefiok Essien (SAN), Faculty of Law; Professor Godfrey Okon Udoh, Department of Estate Management; and Professor Enoabasi Essien Urua, Department of Linguistics & Nigerian Languages.

Addressing the challenges facing the institution, the Vice Chancellor expressed concerns about serious security threats, theft of equipment, inadequate funding, encroachment on University land, and shortages of manpower in critical fields due to the Federal Government’s employment embargo. He also mentioned the high cost of power and the unreliable electricity supply affecting the University.