…As Chancellor is installed, 474 students earn degrees

• Ada Chukwudozie, BLord conferred with honorary doctorates

From Obinna Odogwu, Awka

Twelve students have bagged First Class from Paul University, a faith-based citadel of learning in Awka, Anambra State capital.

This was announced by the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the university, Ven. Prof. Obiora Nwosu, during the fifth combined convocation ceremony held on Friday in the varsity’s premises.

The VC pegged the number of graduands at 474, detailing that 259 graduated with Second Class Honours (Upper Division), 191 with Second Class Honours (Lower Division) and 12 with Third Class.

He also announced that 141 of the university’s postgraduate students also graduated. The figure, when broken down, shows that 55 got Postgraduate Diploma, 11 Master of Arts, 3 MLIS, 54 Master of Science and 18 Doctor of Philosophy.

 The VC disclosed that all the academic programmes of the university, both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels have been accredited by the National University Commission.

“Inasmuch as PUA is a private university, it is not inferior to federal and state universities. The same regulating body, NUC, oversees the operations of all the Nigerian universities.

“The federal and state universities can go on strike but private universities do not, thus, students as they get admitted, they graduate without any academic year disruption.

“Paul University Awka is not associated with cultism, immodest or indecent dressing, drug abuse and the likes”, the Vice-Chancellor said.

The VC said that the university’s Faculty of Nursing Sciences would take off next year as it has met all the requirements needed for that purpose.

 “The Nursing Council Accreditation Team praised what we have on ground for their nursing profession. They advised that we go for the Faculty of Nursing Science instead of just the Department of Nursing Science. We will set the stage for that immediately after this convocation. That will be next year.

“This is an indication that the result of the accreditation will be successful. This present university management has not been associated with failure in accreditations by both the NUC and professional bodies,” he said.

 The university also conferred honorary doctorate degrees on Lady Ada Chukwudozie, chairman, Board of Directors, Keystone

Bank Limited; and Chief Williams Linus Ifejika, Nigerian Cryptocurrency Entrepreneur and  CEO of BLord Group for their outstanding contributions and services to the country and humanity.

 The highpoint of the convocation was the installation of Chief Dr. Napoleon Onyechi, a renowned international pharmacist, as the university’s new Chancellor.