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The University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) has announced that it will award first-class degrees to 363 students during its 35th convocation, scheduled to hold on Saturday.
The Vice-Chancellor of UNIPORT, Prof. Owunari Georgewill, disclosed this on Monday at a press conference in Port Harcourt as part of activities marking the university’s combined convocation ceremony and 50th anniversary celebration.
Georgewill explained that the week-long event, which will run from July 21 to July 26, will cover the conferment of degrees, higher degrees, diplomas, prizes, and other recognitions.
According to him, the combined convocation is for students who completed their academic programmes during the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 academic sessions.
A breakdown of the figures shows that 14,861 graduands will receive various qualifications during the ceremony.
In the undergraduate category, 9,788 students will receive first degrees, with 363 earning first-class honours.
For postgraduate programmes, 2,008 students will receive Postgraduate Diplomas, 2,131 will obtain Master’s degrees, while 934 will be conferred with Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees.
Prof. Georgewill also revealed that four distinguished Nigerians will be conferred with honorary doctorate degrees. They are:
Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, First Lady of Nigeria;
Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory;
Aminu Masari, Chairman of TETFund;
Gov. Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State.
Describing the convocation as “a symbolic season of harvest,” Georgewill said it offered the university the opportunity to evaluate its progress in infrastructural development, academic programming, global visibility, research collaborations, and challenges.
On infrastructure, he said the university had recorded significant strides with the support of the Federal Government through Needs Assessment interventions, TETFund, and Capital Projects initiatives.
“These interventions have led to the renovation of existing structures, the construction of new office buildings, and the upgrading of learning environments across various faculties,” he said.
According to him, UNIPORT now boasts state-of-the-art laboratories, a modern sports complex, fully equipped health facilities, a counselling centre, an entrepreneurial centre, and a world-class Convocation Arena, all aimed at producing well-rounded graduates.
Georgewill highlighted a major renewable energy project:
“In partnership with the Rural Electrification Agency, we have commenced the construction of a 10.7MW solar hybrid power plant under the UNIPORT Solar Farm programme.
This marks a significant milestone in our renewable energy drive and journey towards sustainability and energy independence,” he said.
The vice-chancellor also announced the establishment of three new faculties: the Faculty of Computing, the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, and the Faculty of Media and Communications.
He added that over 1,000 students have been awarded scholarships through robust partnerships with 13 external sponsors.
“UNIPORT continues to attract international research grants and strategic collaborations, leading to the establishment of two Africa Centres of Excellence (ACEs) funded by the World Bank.
These include the ACE for Public Health and Toxicological Research (ACE-PUTOR) and the ACE for Oilfield Chemicals Research (ACE-CEFOR),” Georgewill noted.
“These centres are playing a key role in human capital development and conducting world-class research with both regional and global impact,” he added.
Looking ahead, Georgewill said UNIPORT is taking deliberate steps toward becoming a fully digitalised institution, with plans to establish specialised laboratories, STEM labs, and a dedicated research centre.
He revealed plans to construct smart classrooms and install smart boards, while building a cloud-based infrastructure that will provide students and staff access to e-books, academic journals, virtual laboratories, and databases.
The vice-chancellor, however, appealed for increased funding to enable the university to construct hostel accommodation, staff quarters, internal road networks and street lighting, a central administrative building, and additional office spaces.
He also lamented the continued encroachment on UNIPORT’s land by unauthorized individuals, calling for urgent intervention to safeguard the university’s assets
