Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu
The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) will today confer an honorary doctoral degree on the General Overseer Worldwide of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, as activities of the university’s 46th convocation took off yesterday.
Pastor Adeboye is an alumnus of the university where he studied Mathematics graduating in 1966.
Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Benjamin Ozumba, who made the disclosure at a press briefing which kicked off the programmes to mark the 46th convocation of the university, said a total of 12, 448 students would also bag different degrees.
He disclosed that 10,425 would be for first degrees, diploma and certificates, while 2,023 would be for post graduate diploma, Master’s degree and Doctors of Philosophy degrees.
A breakdown of the degrees showed that 94 got 1st class honours; 3,098, 2nd class upper; 5,145, 2nd class lower; 1,653, 3rd class; 121 pass; 314 unclassified and 93 diploma.
According to Ozumba, in keeping with the tradition of UNN, Adeboye and two other prominent Nigerians would be conferred with honorary doctorate.
They include Emeka Okwuosa and John Obinna Chukwu.
Ozumba, who expressed delight at the UNN’s position in the 2016 WEBOMETRICS ranking of universities, posited that the university would continue to remain at the top among Nigerian universities.
According to him, UNN had maintained the enviable position for three consecutive times.
“Having retained that enviable position consecutively for three rankings, we now consider it our birth right to remain at the top and we are not ready to abdicate that position anytime soon.
“Our gaze is now fixed on the number one position in Africa and we are upbeat about it,” Ozumba declared.
The university don used the occasion to emphasise that staff welfare was uppermost in his administration, saying they ensured that the university workers were paid their salaries promptly as well as promoted in due course.
“It may interest you to know that within the past two years, over 75 senior lecturers have been promoted to professors. This is unprecedented,” he pointed out.
