UNN Employs 300 First Class Graduates

UNN Vice Chancellor, Prof. Bartholomew  Okolo

The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) has in the last three years offered automatic employment to over 300 first class graduates.

The institution has also begun moves to remain the number one university in the country.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Bartholomew Okolo, who disclosed this in a press briefing to mark the 42nd convocation of the university in Enugu Monday, said the institution by the gesture had created a critical mass of the much needed new generation of excellent and competent scholars, who would sustain the legacy of scholarship at the institution.

He said the university had in the past three years taken advantage of the special funding from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), international strategic alliances established over time and funds generated internally to provide scholarship for overseas training and exposure to global best practices for over 50 per cent of her young staff.

According to Okolo, the university has continued to offer visiting lectureship and sabbatical positions to competent staff that had added value to teaching and research, adding that it has been able to lure many scholars and professionals from Europe and America to join different academic and administrative units of the university.

He said, “About three years ago, we embarked on the first comprehensive infrastructure development and rehabilitation of the university since inception.”

These are in the form of rehabilitation and recovery of dilapidated buildings, the remodelling and expansion of existing buildings, the rehabilitation of roads and outright construction of new facilities.”

He said the administration has started the installation of Hitachi smart boards in all the 300 classrooms and teaching laboratories, adding that it would transform not only the method of instruction, but also the quality of teaching in the institution.

Okolo said a total of 19,880 degrees and diplomas of the university would be awarded at the convocation, adding that it represents an increase of 73 per cent over last year’s graduation of 18,150

A breakdown include 116 first class honours, 4405 second class honours, 10,048 second class lower division, 2633 third class honours, pass and diplomas.

He urged the staff to continue to support the administration to enable it deliver on her mandate, stressing that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof.  Attahiru Jega, chairman of FATE Foundation, Mr. Fola Adeola and the Managing Director of Diamond Bank Plc, Alex Otti would be conferred with awards at the convocation.