By Tony Okafor Okafor, Awka
Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, Anambra State, is set to graduate 16,842 students at its 20th and 21st combined convocation ceremonies scheduled to hold from November 15 to 20, 2026.
The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Ugochukwu Bond Anyaehie, disclosed this on Thursday during a press briefing at the Vice-Chancellor’s Office, Awka, where he also outlined the institution’s academic, administrative, technological and infrastructural achievements.
According to Anyaehie, the graduands comprise 14,803 first-degree recipients and 2,039 postgraduate students from the 2025 and 2026 graduating sets.
Giving a breakdown of the first-degree results, he said 194 students would graduate with First Class Honours, while 4,230 obtained Second Class Upper Division.
He added that 7,992 students earned Second Class Lower Division, 1,936 obtained Third Class Honours, while 65 graduated with Pass degrees. Another 486 students earned unclassified medical and professional degrees.
For the postgraduate category, the Vice-Chancellor said 603 candidates would be awarded Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees, 29 would receive Master of Philosophy/PhD degrees, 1,113 would graduate with master’s degrees, while 294 obtained postgraduate diplomas.
Anyaehie described the forthcoming convocation as an opportunity to celebrate the university’s growth and showcase the achievements recorded under his administration’s vision of making a greater UNIZIK possible.
On the institution’s academic standing, he said UNIZIK had been ranked joint fourth among Nigerian universities in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings.
He also disclosed that the university’s debate team won the 13th All Nigerian Universities Debate Championship (ANUDC) for the first time in its history.
Similarly, he said the institution’s athletes won silver and bronze medals at the 12th Federation of African University Sports (FASU) Games held in Cairo, Egypt.
Highlighting his administration’s achievements in digital infrastructure, the Vice-Chancellor said the university had secured selection into the Federal Government’s $617.7 million Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) programme, supported by the Bank of Industry, Agence Française de Développement and the African Development Bank/Islamic Development Bank.
He said the university had also expanded its internet bandwidth to 2Gbps through the Agence Française de Développement-Nigeria Research and Education Network (AFD-NgREN), with equipment from Galaxy Backbone already installed to activate an additional 300Mbps.
Anyaehie further disclosed that his administration established a TETFund ICT Experience Centre at Hall 2 of the university’s Digital Library, equipped to support training and research in artificial intelligence, robotics, cybersecurity and software engineering.
He said the university had also upgraded its computer laboratories with 200 all-in-one desktop computers, 20 high-performance laptops, interactive smart screens, servers, enterprise network switches and video conferencing equipment.
On administrative reforms, the Vice-Chancellor said the institution had introduced an online graduate clearance system to eliminate delays associated with physical clearance procedures and accelerate the issuance of statements of results.
He added that the university had digitised its historical registries, academic results and transcript archives to facilitate easier retrieval of students’ academic records.
The administration, he said, had also revamped the Vice-Chancellor’s student portal to provide direct and real-time communication between students and university management.
On medical education, Anyaehie announced that the university had secured full re-accreditation from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), leading to an increase in its annual admission quota for Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) students from 100 to 300.
He said the university was also upgrading its Medical Centre to operate as a 24-hour emergency facility.
Other interventions, according to him, included the expansion of closed-circuit television (CCTV) coverage and perimeter lighting to strengthen campus security, as well as the rehabilitation of hostel water systems and restrooms and the provision of weekly diesel allocations for hostel generators.
The Vice-Chancellor urged the graduating students to uphold the values of discipline, self-reliance and excellence as they prepared to confront challenges beyond the university.
He said their academic achievements represented the institution’s commitment to producing graduates worthy in character and learning.
UNIZIK was established as a federal university in 1992 and named after Nigeria’s first President, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe. It evolved from the former Anambra State University of Technology (ASUTECH).
