By Felix Khanoba
The University of Abuja (UniAbuja) says 40 of its graduating students will be awarded first class degree at its 27th convocation, which will take place on 7th October, 2023.
Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, who disclosed this during a pre-convocation briefing on Wednesday in Abuja, said 7,128 undergraduate students would be graduating at the event.
Giving a further breakdown of the figure, the VC said 474 students will graduate with Second Class Upper, 944 Second Class Lower, 174 with 3rd Class and one with Pass, adding that the university would also churn out 100 Doctor of Philosophy (PhDs), 326 academic Masters and 346 Professional Masters.
Speaking further on the convocation, Professor Na’Allah revealed that UniAbuja would also confer Honorary Doctorate Degree of Letters on renowned erudite scholar, Professor Toyin Falola of the University of Texas, Houston for his continued robust contribution to the the global academic community.
On some of the new policies put in place in the university, Professor Na’Allah said that students who intend to study in the institution will now have to undergo drug test before admission.
He said the institution will work with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ( NDLEA) to help students involved in drug abuse and to rehabilitate them.
While saying students would not be sent out from school if involved in drug abuse, but rather get rehabilitated in collaboration with the NDLEA, Professor Na’Allah said the move is important in order to help students to be free from illicit substance.
The VC also explained that the institution would be adding Russia Language to the list of foreign languages that students must pass before graduating.
This, he said is to make new knowledge available to students.
“The university has developed into a global university with the offering of different languages, which include Japanese, French, Portuguese among others.
“Efforts are though being made to bring in full some of the foreign languages as degrees programmes but the university has made it a compulsory in General Studies that every student must study and pass a foreign language before graduation.
“We are going to offer Russia language in addition to the foreign languages we offer. Students are made to offer and pass one of these foreign languages,”he said.
While noting the efforts made by the university to achieve its mandates, he said the university has put in place a unique fund raising system at the departmental, faculty and general levels that would attract support from alumni, philanthropists, among others, to meet the needs of the institution in sponsoring researches, trainings and others.
