AKSU student population hits 5, 000, VC promises enhanced academic facilities

WITH the admission of 1, 717 freshmen into the Akwa Ibom State University, Mkpat Enin, the student population in the institution has risen to 1, 717.

And the vice chancellor of the institution, Prof. Eno Ibanga has assured that the rise in student population would be met with commensurate facilities that would ensure that the academic needs of the students are not compromised.

The institution on Saturday, May 2nd, graduated its first set of students numbering 40, at its maiden convocation ceremony, four of whom finished in the First Class Division.

Twenty five of the new graduates are male and 15 female. Speaking to The Guardian in an interview over the weekend, Prof Ibanga said just as the student population was growing, “We are a growing school, which was left with about 3, 303 students after the first set of students numbering 40 were graduated.

But now, the population has moved from that to over 5, 000 after we admitted a total of 1, 717 freshmen, who have just concluded their orientation programme.”

Ibanga, a professor of Solid State Physics/Materials Science who informed that the National Universities Commission (NUC) had earlier on accredited all science programmes of the school numbering 12, stressed that work was in progress towards improving available academic facilities to facilitate accreditation of more programmes.

He also informed that because of the accreditation status of the programmes, all recently graduated students were now on cue for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme as the school has already been integrated into the scheme.

The university administrator who said that the institution, a non-residential campus, which was upgraded from a model school to where it is currently, was still witnessing immense upgrade thanks to the N2b lifeline from the state government of which N1.5b has already been released.

The recently graduated students were from the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, and the exercise was for the 2013/2014 academic session. Ibanga, who spoke at the ceremony said the pioneer graduands were released having been found worthy in character and learning over the period they were students.

He urged them to be good ambassadors of the school saying, “As our pioneer graduands, who have been found worthy in character and learning, we expect you to exhibit exemplary virtue, which will distinguish you from the larger society,” he said.

“This maiden convocation consummates our yearning to own a state university and places Akwa Ibom State at par with its counterparts.

This is just the beginning. I am proud to be the vice chancellor who is graduating the first set of students of Akwa Ibom State University,” an elated Ibanga stated. Shedding some light on the schools programmes, he said the NUC had accredited 12 degree programmes in the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences in the institution.

“In the first outing in 2014, the university successfully secured 100 per cent full accreditation for all the 12 degree programmes…”

He commended Governor Godswill Akpabio for approving the N2bn capital grant for the upgrade of facilities, adding that N1.5bn of that amount had already been released and work ongoing.