By ABAH ADAH, Abuja
Bingham University, one of Nigeria’s leading private universities, located in the Karu local government area (LGA) of Nasarawa State, is set to graduate 2,577 students as it holds its 4th Combined Convocation Ceremony on Saturday.
Bingham University is a faith-based institution founded by the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) with focus primarily on impartation of entrepreneurial skills that would put it’s products on the path of self-reliance.
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Williams Barnabas Qurix disclosed this during a pre-convocation press briefing in the school on Thursday.
A total of two thousand, two hundred and fifty (2,250) undergraduate students and three hundred and twenty-seven (327) Postgraduate students, accumulated over four academic years of 2018/2019, 2019//2020, 2020/2021, 2021/20022 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and, perhaps, other challenges, will be graduated during the convocation on Saturday, 5 November, 2022.
Breakdown shows that for 2018/2019 academic session, 28 First Class, 194 Second Class Upper, 271 Second Class Lower, 51 Third Class and 76 Medical Doctors were produced; for 2019/2020 Academic Session, 22 First Class, 154 Second Class Upper, 259 Second Class Lower and 239 Third Class, 5 Pass and 51 Medical Doctors emerged; and for 2020/2021 Academic Session, 18 First Class, 125 Second Class Upper, 169 Second Class Lower, 2 Pass and 48 Medical Doctors are graduating; while for 2021/2022 Academic Session, 10 First Class, 113 Second Class Upper, 144 Second Class Lower, 38 Third Class, 1 Pass and 48 Medical Doctors are to be graduated.
In total for the 4 sets are: 78 First Class, 586 Second Class Upper, 843 Second Class Lower, 512 Third Class, 8 Pass and 223 Medical Doctors.
Of the 327 students from the Postgraduate School that are graduating, 53 of them have Distinction.
According to the VC, an Honorary Doctorate degree (PhD) which had been approved by the Senate and the Governing Council of the University will be conferred on one Engr Festus Dauda who had distinguished himself in his field of endeavour.
Prof. Qurix who used the opportunity to highlight some notable achievements of the institution under his watch in the last few years said the university which had 5 faculties in 2017 now has 12 faculties.
“Also in 2017, the university had 16 programmes, but, currently, it has 64 programmes including 28 programmes in postgraduate school, of which 48 were introduced in the last 5 years.
“The school of postgraduate studies which was established in 2017 started off with 5 programmes in 2 Faculties. Currently, the school has 28 programmes in 5 faculties including Ph.D programmes,” he said.
Various activities leading to the convocation proper on Saturday as lined up by the university’s management have kicked off to culminate in the award of the academic laurels on the deserving recipients and, thereafter, thanksgiving on Sunday.