“IT’S ANOTHER CONVOCATION CEREMONY” BEING THE TEXT OF THE PRESS BRIEFING DELIVERED BY PROFESSOR OLAYEMI AKINWUMI, VICE-CHANCELLOR, FEDERAL UNIVERSITY LOKOJA ON THE OCCASION OF THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE ACTIVITIES OF THE COMBINED 6^TH AND 7^TH CONVOCATION CEREMONY OF THE UNIVERSITY HELD ON 16^TH OCTOBER, 2023 AT THE FELELE CAMPUS

 

Protocol

Principal Officers of the University
Deans and Directors
Heads of Departments/Units
Professors
Members of the 6^th and 7^th Convocation Central Planning Committee
Distinguished members of the Press
Ladies and Gentlemen

Gentlemen of the Press, it is with gratitude to Almighty God that I address you this day on the occasion of the combined Sixth and Seventh Convocation ceremony of the Federal University Lokoja, which incidentally is the second ceremony since my assumption of office as the Vice-Chancellor of this University.

I welcome you all to this auspicious meeting where I will be briefing you on the strides that the University has attained since the fifth convocation ceremony that took place in November, 2021.

In this year’s combined Convocation ceremony, 2,511 graduands will be conferred with First degrees, 99 Master degrees and 128 Postgraduate Diploma.  The classification of degrees to be awarded is as follows:

6^th Set:

• First Class Honours - 28
• Second Class Honours Upper Division - 319
• Second Class Honours Lower Division - 736
• Third Class Honours - 197
• Pass degree - 3

Total = 1273

7^th Set:

• First Class Honours - 33
• Second Class Honours Upper Division - 286
• Second Class Honours Lower Division - 668
• Third Class Honours - 250
• Pass degree - 1

Total = 1238

Grand Total for 6^th and 7^th sets = 2511

Furthermore, Honorary Degrees would be conferred on eminent personalities that have contributed to the development of the nation.

I use this medium to congratulate our graduating students of the two sets on this academic feat and rejoice with them and their families for the journey so far. I admonish them to be good ambassadors of Federal University Lokoja enjoining them to uphold the morals and values of this noble University. I also want to congratulate our honorary degree Awardees for accepting to be honoured by this University. It is expected that the Awardees esteemed presence will enrich the ceremony.

The programmes of activities for the 6^th and 7^th Combined Convocation Ceremony are as follows:

Day 1: Monday, October 16, 2023

• Press Briefing by the Vice-Chancellor
• Council Chambers, Felele Campus
• 10:00am prompt

Day 2: Tuesday, October 17, 2023

• Founder’s Day
• College of Health Sciences, Adankolo Campus
• 10:00am prompt

Day 3: Wednesday, October 18, 2023

• Research Fair
• College of Health Sciences, Adankolo Campus
• 10:00am prompt

Day 4: Thursday, October 19, 2023

• Convocation Lecture
• Multi-purpose Hall, Felele Campus
• 2:00pm prompt
• Topic: The Role of University Education in a Society in constant Transition by Professor Olu Obafemi, _{NMON, FNAL}, former Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, FUT Minna

Day 5: Friday, October 20, 2023

• Juma’at Prayer
• University Mosque, Adankolo Campus
• 1:30pm prompt
  
  
• Chancellor’s Night
• Riverton Hotels and Towers, Lokoja
• 5:00pm prompt

Day 6: Saturday, October 21, 2023

• 6^thand 7^th Convocation
• Convocation Arena, Felele Campus
• 10:00am prompt

Day 7: Sunday, October 22, 2023

• Sunday Service
• Regina Caeli, Adankolo Campus
• 10:00am prompt

Relocation to the Permanent site in Felele

I want to inform you with utmost excitement that all the programmes of the University are now domiciled on the Permanent Site in Felele. The Faculties of Arts, Education, Engineering, Management Sciences, Science, Social Sciences have been relocated to the Felele Campus and all academic activities now take place here on the Campus. While the Take-off Campus in Adankolo now houses the College of Health Sciences and the Department of Nursing Science.

Establishment of new Academic Programmes

On my assumption of office as Vice-Chancellor of Federal University Lokoja (FUL), I came with, amongst other visions, the agenda to establish some academic programmes that were not in existence in FUL but are of high demand by the citizenry of this State.

I am glad to inform you that the University today added to its academic programmes, Medicine, Nursing and Engineering while Agriculture, Law, Pharmacy, Psychology and Medical Laboratory Sciences programmes are in the pipeline.

Admission into newly established Academic Programmes of Federal University Lokoja

It is no longer news that our College of Health Sciences has taken off fully with our pioneer students now in the 200 Level. I am however, happy to inform you that the maiden students’ admission exercise into the Engineering and Nursing Programmes will take place in the 2023/2024 academic session.

I want to use this occasion to express appreciation to the Federal Government under the immediate past President His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari for the approval to convert the Federal Medical Centre Lokoja to Federal Teaching Hospital to be used as Teaching Hospital for our Medical programmes.

We are using this medium to appeal to the good people of the State to help us develop the Teaching Hospital by providing Auditorium, Lecture Theatre, and Hostels.

2023 Sub-Sahara African Varsities’ Ranking

It is my delight to report that Federal University Lokoja falls within the 51^st - 60^th bracket out of the 120 Sub-Saharan Universities that were ranked on 26^th June, 2023 by the Times Higher Education.

The University was in the 17^th position of the 51 Nigerian Universities ranked and 9^th position amongst the Federal Universities. This was disclosed by Professor Peter Okebukola, the Chairman of Nigerian Universities Ranking Advisory Committee on his return from Accra, Ghana where the exercise took place.

International Relations

The University is trying to penetrate Cuba through the Ambassador for the development of our Medical and Engineering programmes. Already we are relating... Read the full text here

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