UNN Announces 55th Convocation Statistics
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, Professor Simon Ortuanya, disclosed this on Wednesday during the convocation press briefing at the university’s Business School Auditorium, Enugu Campus.
According to Professor Ortuanya, 10,641 graduands will receive first degrees and diplomas, including the 168 First Class graduates, while 2,944 students will be awarded higher degrees. The higher degrees comprise 1,390 doctoral degrees, 1,340 master’s degrees, and 214 postgraduate diplomas.
Honorary Degrees and Emeritus Professors
The university will also confer honorary doctorate degrees on four distinguished personalities: First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, Williams Agbo, Kaycee Orji, and William Richardson. These honours recognize their contributions to leadership, public service, and human development. Additionally, two eminent scholars of the institution, Peter-Jazzy Ezeh and Boniface Obinna Okere, will be honoured with the title of professor emeritus.
Professor Ortuanya described the convocation as a celebration of academic excellence and the fulfilment of the dreams of thousands of graduates and their families.
Convocation Lecture and Infrastructure Reforms
The convocation lecture will be delivered on 23 July by Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, under the chairmanship of the 12th Vice-Chancellor of UNN and current Vice-Chancellor of the University on the Niger, Umunya, Anambra, Chinedu Nebo.
The Vice-Chancellor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to repositioning UNN as a globally competitive institution through quality teaching, research, digital innovation, entrepreneurship, and community engagement. He noted that within the past 11 months, the university had embarked on extensive rehabilitation of ageing infrastructure across its campuses.
Major projects include 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.
Academic Milestones
The administration also recorded significant academic milestones, including an increase in the MBBS admission quota from 180 to 400 and dentistry from 15 to 60, following accreditation by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria. The National Universities Commission has approved the unbundling of the Department of Mass Communication into five specialized degree programmes to align with global communication trends.
Professor Ortuanya said the ongoing projects and academic reforms reflect the university’s determination to restore confidence, strengthen academic excellence, and secure a brighter future for generations of students.
