One hundred and sixty-three students graduated with first class degrees across various disciplines at the combined convocation ceremony of the Federal University, Otuoke in Bayelsa State.
At the event held at the Indoor Sports hall of the West Campus of the University in Otuoke, President Bola Tinubu charged the fresh graduates to take advantage of the economic policies of the current administration to become employers of labour.
A total of ten thousand two hundred and seventy-three students’ bagged bachelors and post graduate degrees from the institution as all the best graduating students bagged automatic employment in the University.
Out of the 9,912 graduates that received first degrees from the 4th to 9th combined convocation ceremony Mr. Bright Ndamati of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Chinenye Ezekwueme of Business Administration with a Cumulative Grade Point Average, CGPA of 4.88 each jointly clinched the Pro-Chancellor’s Prize for overall best graduating student.Awengi Alabere who specialized in Food and Industrial Microbiology and Ebinyo Aseibai of Public Health Microbiology with a CGPA of 4.93 each got the Chancellor’s Prize for best Doctor of Philosophy Candidate as Ejiroghene Edafe of Public Health Microbiology with CGPA of 4.94 earned that of Masters’ of Science best graduating student.
Mr. Ndamati who gave the Valedictory address charged the new graduates to see their achievement as the beginning of better opportunities.
The Visitor to the University, President Bola Tinubu represented by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Professor Owunari Georgewill reiterated the commitment of the administration to providing accessible and quality tertiary education in the country, urging universities to do more to train industrious Nigerians to be job creators.
The Chancellor of the Institution, King Elaigwu Obagaji, who is the Agaba Idu of Idoma Kingdom and the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council, Mallam Ali Sa’ad Birnin-Kudu, a former Governor of Jigawa State while charging the graduates to aim for excellence called for financial support to the University and the need to connect it to the national grid for power supply alongside other investments in infrastructure.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Teddy Adias who announced automatic employment for all the best graduating students said by launching a N100 billion Endowment Fund, the University intends to build a solid financial platform to support the long term development of the institution.
Highpoint of the 2nd Combined Convocation ceremony was the presentation of prizes and awards to outstanding graduates and conferment of honorary Doctorate Degrees on eminent Nigerians including the Governor of Jigawa State, Mallam Umar Namadi who chaired the occasion, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, represented by the Deputy Governor Dr. Emmanuel Akabe and foremost Niger Delta Environmental rights campaigner, Chief Alagoa Morris who bagged Doctor of Science in Environmental Sustainability.
While a total of 10,273 students graduated, 9,912 earned first degrees, out of which 163 made first class, 2,513 second class upper division, 5,414 second class lower, 1,082 third class and 20 pass.
For the postgraduate degrees, 21 got Doctor of Philosophy, 226 had Masters’ Degree, 113 Post Graduate Diplomas amounting to 306 from 2018 to 2025 academic sessions.
