One hundred and sixty-eight students have bagged First Class Honours at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, as the institution holds its 55th Convocation Ceremony.
The number is part of the 12,895 students participating in the convocation as announced by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Simon Ortuanya.
Ortuanya disclosed this on Wednesday in Enugu during a press briefing at the university’s Enugu Campus, themed “The Renaissance of Mind and the Rebuilding of the Lion’s Den.”
Providing a breakdown of the graduating students, Ortuanya said 10,641 would receive first degrees and diplomas, including 168 First Class graduates.
He added that 2,944 postgraduate students would be awarded higher degrees, comprising 1,390 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees, 1,340 Master’s degrees and 214 Postgraduate Diplomas.
Ortuanya also disclosed that the university’s MBBS admission quota rose from 180 to 400 students following accreditation by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, while the Dentistry quota rose from 15 to 60 students.
He added that the National Universities Commission (NUC) approved the unbundling of the Department of Mass Communication into five specialised degree programmes, while four new programmes—Agribusiness, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Industrial Arts, and Criminology and Security Studies—received full accreditation.
Ortuanya also announced the establishment of the university’s Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Laboratory, describing it as a strategic investment in preparing students for the digital economy.
He reiterated that UNN remained committed to rebuilding the institution in line with the vision of its founding fathers and positioning it as a globally competitive university capable of producing graduates equipped to address contemporary national and global challenges.