The University of Uyo (UNIUYO) will graduate 22,961 students at its 31st and 32nd combined convocation ceremonies, with 214 of the graduands earning First-Class Honours degrees.
Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Christopher Nyong Ekong, disclosed this on Monday during a media briefing at the Council Chamber, Main Campus, ahead of the convocation ceremonies scheduled for November 9 to 14, 2026.
Giving a breakdown of the graduating students, Ekong said 19,217 would receive bachelor’s degrees, while 2,682 would graduate with postgraduate qualifications, comprising 714 doctoral degrees, 1,303 master’s degrees and 665 postgraduate diplomas.
He explained that the undergraduate graduands comprised 214 First-Class honours, 7,216 Second-Class Upper, 10,468 Second-Class Lower, 917 Third-Class and 402 Pass degrees.
The Vice-Chancellor also announced that four prominent Nigerians would receive honorary degrees at the ceremony. They are Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas; Chairman of Tantita Security Services, High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo; Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Samuel Ogbuku; and Chairman of Ubotex Nigeria Limited, Ubong Obot.
Ekong, who assumed office as the university’s ninth substantive Vice-Chancellor on June 16, 2026, used the briefing to highlight achievements recorded by his administration within its first 100 days, including the processing and release of 1,810 academic transcripts, with a 72-hour turnaround target for new requests.
He said the administration had also addressed delays in the release of examination results, returned undergraduate and Direct Entry admissions to departments and faculties, reactivated stalled TETFund projects and strengthened security across the university’s five campuses.
On infrastructure, Ekong listed the renovation of the NDDC female hostel, Needs Assessment Hostel and Presidential Hostels, alongside the renovation of the Medical Campus Auditorium, repair of the main campus entrance road and provision of furniture for the University Staff School.
He further disclosed that the administration had commenced the construction of the Faculty of Pharmacy building, expansion of the UNIPOD Centre and development of a 40-hectare cassava bio-ethanol farm, among other projects.
According to him, the university has also established commercial ventures in agriculture and allied industries as part of efforts to reduce dependence on federal allocations and strengthen its internally generated revenue.
“It is with utmost delight that I inform you that as a University aligning with global benchmarks, my administration is making tangible efforts at breaking away from the over-dependence on Federal allocations, which has been the practice for years,” he said.
The Vice-Chancellor said the university’s commercial agricultural investments included cocoa, plantain and oil palm plantations, poultry, fish, snail and mushroom farming, adding that the initiatives had created employment opportunities for more than 200 local residents.
On staff welfare, he said his administration had paid outstanding entitlements, implemented applicable Federal Government directives, paid academic and non-teaching allowances from January to October 2026 and commenced the implementation of the CONMESS salary structure for medical lecturers.
Ekong also disclosed that the university had strengthened international and institutional partnerships, including educational collaborations with SRH University of Germany and the Centre for Canadian Education Council, as well as engagements with the South-South Development Commission and NDDC.
He said the institution had resolved a dispute with its host communities that lasted more than 39 years, describing the development as part of efforts to improve relations between the university and its immediate environment.
The Vice-Chancellor assured that the institution would no longer combine multiple graduating sessions for future convocations, attributing the decision to improvements in examination result processing and administrative efficiency.
He said, “I can assure us that this would be the last time University of Uyo, under my leadership, would combine two or more sets of graduates for its convocation ceremonies.”
Ekong said his administration was committed to restoring academic excellence, improving infrastructure, strengthening research and repositioning the institution for greater national and international recognition.
He called on members of the university community and the media to support the administration’s efforts to renew the institution.
