A total of 2,511 graduands of the Federal University Lokoja are to convoke at the combined 6th and 7th convocation ceremony planned for a week long activity by the university management.
Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Olayemi Durotimi Akinwumi disclosed this at a Press Conference in Lokoja on Monday to mark the commencement of the activities lined up for the ceremony by the fledging ivory tower.
A breakdown of the categories of the graduands indicate that 99 will be conferred with Master Degrees while 128 Postgraduate Diploma holders take their turn down the ladder.
Of the two sets, the 6th convocation has a total of 1,273 made up of 28 first class, 319 second class upper, 736 second class lower, 197 third class and 3 for pass Degree.
Similarly, in the 7th set, 33 bagged
1st class, 286 second class upper division, 668 second class lower division, 250 third class and 1 pass degrees.
Prof. Olayemi disclosed that as at 2023 times higher education ranking, the Federal University Lokoja falls within 51st-60th bracket out of 120 University in Sub Saharan Universities while it ranked 17th position amongst Nigerian Universities and 9th position amongst Federal Universities.
The university administrator disclosed that all the programmes of the institution have been relocated and are now domiciled at the Felele Campus on Abuja-Okene road.
He added that the university has commenced the departments of Medicine, Nursing and Engineering, while those of Agriculture, Law, Pharmacy, Psychology and Medical Laboratory Sciences programmes are in the pipeline.
The College of Health Sciences of the university, he said, has taken off fully with pioneer students now on 200 level, while students admission into the Engineering and Nursing programmes will be captured in the 2023/2024 academic session.
He thanked former President Muhammadu Buhari for the approval to convert Federal Medical Hospital, Lokoja to Federal Teaching Hospital, to be used as Teaching Hospital for Medical programme of the university.
“In the area of community service, the university has established both primary and secondary schools to boost the education needs of the community,” he said.
Furthermore, he explained that a network of roads have been constructed, while construction of 12 blocks of lecture halls as well as the construction of the university health centre have been completed.
The head of the university added that under his tenure, the university has carried out two solar powered electrification of the streets as well as road networks and constructed 40 blocks of shops under the build, operate and transfer model.
Within the period under review, he said, is the connection of electricity from the Lokoja Power Substation to the university through the national grid; procurement of a fire fighting service truck, construction of security building and renovation of the male and female hostels at the Adankolo Campus for the MB and BS students.
In addition to these, the university under his tutelage and guidance is carrying out the construction of 4 storey Senate building and the construction of the faculty of engineering, saying that the university has received two 18 seater buses donated by Dr. Innocent Izoemena Exuma just as he acknowledged receipt of a grant of N250m from BUA Cement for the construction of Central laboratory.
The Vice Chancellor assured the host community of more benefits that will accrue in no distant future in terms of employment saying that the university has made it a policy for the indigenes to benefit 75% from all the recently introduced professional courses.
Prof. Akinwumi, however, made an appeal to the people of the State to help in supporting the institution for a phenomenal growth saying that the cordial relationship existing between him and the staff is a product of the open door policy that he operates.
