CAPTIONM
iss Agbazuere Best Graduating Student
19 bag 1st class as Abia varsity graduates 3,757 students
. By Favour Nnabugwu
No fewer than 19 graduands bagged first class honours as the Abia State University Uturu, Friday, graduated 3,757 students.
This is as Miss Oluomachi Agbazuere, daughter of Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu’s ex- Chief of Staff, and Information Commissioner, Professor A. C. B Agbazuere, won his father’s Best Graduating Student award prize of N.5 million.
The Isila Ngwa South -born young Law graduate, made a total of 4.75 Cumulative Grade Point Aggregate, CGPA.
She was followed closely by Chukwubueze Praise Madumere, Computer Science, who graduated with 4.71 CGPA.
Chioma Miracle Peters, Linguistics and Communication Studies/Igbo, made 4.69 CGPA.
Chiazokam Emeh, Optometry; and Peace Nlemoha, Animal Science & Fisheries ; made 4.64 CGPA, and 4.59 CGPA, respectively.
Promise Nwosu, and Alex Ojunta, respectively made seven distinctions in Medicine & Surgery.
Further distribution of the graduands shows as follows: Doctor of Philosophy- 77; Masters- 138; and Post Graduate Diploma-77.
Others were Second Class Upper Division – 1,160; Second Class Lower Division-2,004; Third Class honours- 110; and Pass level- 3.
Former Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Ogwo. E. Ogwo, was at the event, conferred with Professor Emeritus of the university.
Similarly, Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers State was conferred with the Doctor of Public Administration (Honoris Causa); while a legal luminary, Mike Ozokohme, was conferred with Doctor of Law ( Honoris Causa).
Three other eminent Nigerians including Chief Reginald Stanley, Mrs Folurunsho Alakija, and Chief Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuade, were respectively conferred with Doctor of Philosophy ( Honoris Causa).
In his address, Vice Chancellor, Professor Onyemachi Ogbolu, commended the graduands for their academic excellence, and charged them to be worthy ambassadors of the university.
The Vice Chancellor announced automatic employment for the Best Graduating Student, Miss Agbazuere.
He identified the restoration of industrial peace and harmony in the university as the hallmark of his administration.
The Vice Chancellor also enumerated some of the key achievements to include: 300-bed new hostel block for College of Medicine; upgrading of the Umuahia campus of the university and energization of 500KVA transformer at the campus plus award of 5.5 kilometer road project in the university by the Federal Road Maintenance Agency ( FERMA).
Others include successful accreditation of 27 programmes in the university even as he expressed optimism that very soon the de-accredited medical college of the university would be re-accredited.
The Vice Chancellor hinted that arrangements were in advance stage for the introduction of new programmes such as Aeronautical Studies as Aviation; Insurance and Risk Management; Hospitality Management and Tourism; Bio- Medical Engineering; Geology; Dentistry and Geo-physics.
In his address, Minister of Education Malam Adamu Adamu, represented by the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, NUC, Professor Abubakar Adamu Rasheed, identified lack of funds as the greatest challenge of education in Nigeria.
He commended the Management of ABSU for its giant strides in the education sector.
In his remarks, Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu represented by his Deputy, Sir Ude Oko Chukwu, promised the continued support of the State Government to ABSU, and the entire education sector.
He commended the university administration for its remarkable footprints in the academic world, and charged the graduands to distinguish themselves in their various fields of endeavour.
In her valedictory speech, the Best Graduating Student, Miss Agbazuere thanked God for the grace to emerge the overall Best.
She also thanked the university and her parents as well as lecturers for impacting on her while promising not to let them down.
