UNN graduates 168 First Class students amid infrastructure and academic reforms

The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) celebrated a significant academic milestone at its 55th convocation ceremony, where 12,895 students were awarded degrees and diplomas. Among the graduating class, 168 students achieved the highest academic honor, graduating with First Class degrees. The ceremony recognized achievements across first degrees, diplomas, and postgraduate programs. Vice-Chancellor Prof. Simon Ortuanya addressed the gathering, noting the substantial number of graduates and emphasizing the university's enduring culture of academic excellence. He acknowledged the challenges of infrastructural decay he inherited upon taking office but affirmed his administration's commitment to confronting these issues directly. "We resolved from the very first day that we would neither romanticise our challenges nor become prisoners of them," Ortuanya stated, highlighting a proactive approach to rebuilding. Ortuanya detailed his administration's efforts over the past 11 months, which have included initiating over 100 strategic projects across UNN's three campuses in Nsukka, Enugu, and Ituku-Ozalla. These projects have transformed the campuses into active construction sites, with comprehensive reconstruction of internal roads, including modern drainage systems and pedestrian walkways. Rehabilitation of existing hostels and the construction of new ones are also underway, such as a 40-room facility for Nursing and Pharmacy students at the College of Medicine. Work has also resumed on the long-delayed Senate Building. Academically, UNN has made strides in enhancing program quality and competitiveness. The admission quota for Medicine has been increased from 180 to 400 students, and for Dentistry from 15 to 60, following rigorous inspections by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria. Additionally, the National Universities Commission (NUC) approved the unbundling of the Mass Communication department into five specialized degree programs. Four new programs, Agribusiness, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Industrial Arts, and Criminology and Security Studies, received full accreditation. The Vice-Chancellor also underscored the administration's focus on staff welfare, noting significant improvements in this area.

“

We resolved from the very first day that we would neither romanticise our challenges nor become prisoners of them. We resolved instead to confront them honestly, guided by the conviction that every genuine renaissance begins with the courage to acknowledge what must be rebuilt.