By Musa Ubandawaki, Sokoto

SOKOTO:– In a significant boost to Nigeria’s expanding higher education landscape, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS) has formally matriculated 6,505 students for the 2025/2026 academic session, underscoring its growing national relevance and institutional capacity.

The matriculation ceremony, held on Wednesday, marked another milestone in the university’s steady transformation from a modest beginning to a major academic hub serving thousands of students across diverse disciplines.

Delivering his address, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Bashiru Garba, traced the institution’s history to 1975 when it was established by the Federal Government as one of Nigeria’s four second-generation universities.

He recalled that the university’s first convocation ceremony on November 22, 1980, witnessed the graduation of just 72 students a sharp contrast to the thousands it now produces annually.

Professor Garba noted that as of 2026, the university has expanded to 17 faculties, alongside a College of Health Sciences (CHS), a College of Postgraduate Studies, a School of Medical Laboratory Sciences, a School of Public Health, 15 research centres and institutes, a Central Research Laboratory, as well as numerous academic and non-teaching units.

He described the growth trajectory as a testament to the vision of the institution’s founders and a source of pride not only to the people of Sokoto State but to Nigeria at large.

Providing a breakdown of admissions for the 2025/2026 session, the Vice Chancellor disclosed that 306 students were admitted into the Faculty of Agriculture; 187 into Arabic and Islamic Studies; and 65 into the Faculty of Arts.

The Faculty of Chemical and Life Sciences admitted 1,146 students, while Education and Extension Services enrolled 583.

Engineering and Environmental Design admitted 396 students, and Management Sciences took in 398.

Further admissions include 80 students in the Faculty of Law; 509 in the Faculty of Social Sciences; 150 in Pharmaceutical Sciences; 777 in Physical and Computing Sciences; and 120 in Veterinary Medicine.

The College of Health Sciences, comprising five faculties and two schools, admitted 822 students, while 1,008 students were enrolled into postgraduate programmes.

The admissions spread, according to observers, reflects the university’s strengthening academic base and its responsiveness to national manpower needs in critical sectors such as health, engineering, agriculture and technology.

Expressing her excitement, one of the newly admitted students, Mariam Abdullahi, thanked Almighty Allah and her parents for their unwavering support. She pledged to justify the confidence reposed in her by striving to graduate with a First-Class degree.

With the latest matriculation, UDUS continues to consolidate its standing as a strategic federal university contributing to Nigeria’s human capital development and research advancement.