BIU to Graduate a Total of 871 Students For The First Time In Its History
The Vice Chancellor of the Institution, Prof. Ernest B. Izevbigie made this known on Monday July 14, 2015 at a press briefing held in respect of the Institution’s 11th Convocation Ceremony which comes up from the 16th-18th of July, 2015.
According to the Vice Chancellor, a total of 49 students bagged first class honours , 207 are in the second class upper division, 414 falls under second class lower division, 15 came out with 3rd class, while 86 students out of the total number are from the post graduate programme.
Highlighting the developmental strides made by the Institution in the last academic year, the Vice Chancellor said that all programmes run by the university are fully accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC). Speaking on staff development he said, some Academic Staff members have successfully completed their Ph.D. programmes, adding that staff members who attended Local and International seminars and presented papers were duly sponsored by the university as a way of encouraging research. Speaking further the Vice Chancellor said, the Faculty of Basic and Applied Sciences in response to the outbreak of the Ebola Virus came up with well perfumed sanitizers. He also stated that the university received support from the United States (USA) to conduct health screening for its staff, an exercise which took place on Tuesday July 14, 2015.
The Vice Chancellor announced that the university will commence engineering programme in the 2015/2016 academic session. Speaking further, he said that three students of the Institution are among the Nigerian delegate representing the nation at the ongoing International Universities Games in South Korea. According to him, Benson Idahosa University has always top the medals table in both the National Universities Games (NUGA) and the Private Universities Games (PUGA.
Speaking on the universities plans for the next academic session, Prof. Izevbigie said, “as a Scientist Vice Chancellor and a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (FNAI)”, the university in the next academic session will be more involved in research and innovation, noting that Benson Idahosa University is the only Institution in Africa that is a member of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). The Vice Chancellor stated that students will have access to e-learning which will enable them engage in exchange programmes. He however spoke of the need for private universities to be funded by the Federal Government, while identifying integrity as one of Africa’s biggest challenge.
Highlighting the programme of event, Prof. Izevbigie said, what makes this year’s convocation special is owing to the great things God has done in the university and the quality of ‘change agents’ being churned out by the Institution. He asserted that these graduates would become employers of labour to drive not just the Nigerian economy but the world at large. He also noted that the presence of the Convocation Lecturer, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR, also makes this year’s convocation unique.