By Samson Nwafor, Abakaliki
Fifteen (15) out of the 355 graduands of Alex Ekweme Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo, AE-FUNAI, bagged first class.
Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Chinedum Nwajiuba disclosed this to journalists during a pre-convocation press conference in the university.
The convocation which holds on 18th of this month, December, will be the 3rd since the establishment of the school.
He also said 188 made second class upper.
“355 persons we have graduated which we will be convoking. 15 of them made 1st class, 188 made 2nd class upper, 145 made 2nd class lower, 7 third class; 355 in all.
They are from four faculties; faculty of humanities has the least 44, faculty of basic medicine 52, faculty of science 101, faculty of management and social science 138. Those are the four faculties that we have the graduates.
“We have seven faculties and the other three are yet to produce graduates and they are faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Agric and faculty of Education and the college of medicine which is still in the second year.
“This year’s convocation will be on Tuesday 18th of this month as you have realized that it is becoming the culture of FUNAI to hold convocation in this period when people will be around. The convocation lecture will be on Monday, December 17 and our convocation lecturer will be Professor Emmanuel Nnadozie. He is coming from Harare in Zimbabwe and he will be speaking on Education in the African continent.
He further disclosed that the Chancellor of the university, Alakee of Egbaland, His Royal Majesty Oba Michael Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo (CFR) as well as the oldest living Minster of Education, Professor Ikechukwu Madubuike will be awarded Honourary Doctorate Degrees.
Oba Michael Adedeju will be awarded Honourary Doctorate Degree in Management while Madubuike will be honoured with a Doctor of letters.
According Nwajiuba, the awards will be conferred on them on the convocation day. He noted that the award of the Doctorate degrees was the first time since the school was established.
“For the first time, we shall be awarding Honorary Doctoral Degrees and the first will be. The first will be our chancellor His Royal Majesty Oba Michael Aremu Adedeju CFR the Aleke of Egba land. He will be conferred with Honourary Doctorate Degree in Management.
“The second person will be Professor Ihechukwu Madubuike. Professor Madubike was Minister of Education in 1979 during the Shagari era and I think he is the oldest Minster of Education in Nigeria. He became a Minister quite early in life. He has a P.hD in French from a University in France and he was himself an academic and we though it wise to honour him with a Doctor of letters”.