The University of Nigeria, Nsukka is preparing to award 12,895 degrees at its 55th Convocation ceremony, featuring 168 First Class honors, honorary doctorates to First Lady Remi Tinubu and three others, and a key lecture by Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah.
The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) is set to celebrate a landmark milestone in higher education as 12,895 students graduate during its 55th Convocation ceremony.
Disclosing the official numbers during a press briefing held at the Business School Auditorium on the Enugu Campus (UNEC) on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simon Ortuanya, revealed that 168 outstanding scholars will be awarded First Class honours degrees.
Giving a detailed breakdown of the graduating statistics, the Vice-Chancellor stated that 10,641 students will receive first degrees and undergraduate diplomas, while 2,944 candidates will be conferred with postgraduate qualifications—comprising 1,390 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees, 1,340 Master’s degrees, and 214 Postgraduate Diplomas.
In addition to celebrating academic achievements, UNN will confer honorary doctorate degrees on four eminent national figures in recognition of their visionary leadership, public service, and contribution to human development.
The honorary awardees include Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu; High Chief Williams Agbo; Arc. Dr. Kaycee Kelechi Orji; and Dr. William Franklyn Richardson. Furthermore, the university Senate will elevate two of its most distinguished scholars, Professor Peter-Jazzy Ezeh and Professor Boniface Obinna Okere, to the prestigious rank of Professor Emeritus.
The 55th Convocation Lecture, scheduled for Thursday, July 23, will be delivered by the Executive Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, under the chairmanship of the 12th Vice-Chancellor of UNN and current Vice-Chancellor of the University on the Niger, Venerable Professor Ositadinma Chinedu Nebo.
Highlighting the structural and academic achievements of his administration over the past 11 months, Vice-Chancellor Ortuanya reiterated his commitment to transforming UNN into a digitally innovative, globally competitive institution.
Significant breakthroughs include securing regulatory approvals from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) to expand the MBBS admission quota from 180 to 400 and Dentistry from 15 to 60, alongside the National Universities Commission’s (NUC) approval to unbundle Mass Communication into five specialized degree tracks.
These academic reforms are complemented by extensive physical infrastructure overhauls, including internal road reconstruction, hostel modernizations, ongoing work at the long-abandoned Senate Building, new facilities at the College of Medicine in Ituku-Ozalla, and the establishment of a state-of-the-art Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence Research Laboratory.
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