The 32nd Convocation Ceremony was held at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University campus in Awka, celebrating over 4,200 new graduates across all six faculties. The Vice-Chancellor urged graduates to uphold the university motto: Discipline, Self Reliance, Excellence.
AWKA – Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) has conferred degrees and diplomas on a total of 4,200 graduates during its 32nd convocation ceremony, held over the weekend at the university’s main campus in Awka.
The figure includes 3,850 first-degree holders and 350 postgraduate diploma, master’s, and doctoral recipients. According to the university’s academic office, 127 of the graduating students earned First Class honours, representing approximately 3.3 percent of the undergraduate cohort.
Delivering the convocation lecture titled “University Education as a Catalyst for Economic Recovery,” former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Peter Okebukola, urged the graduates to embrace entrepreneurship and innovation rather than relying solely on white-collar jobs.
“Nigeria’s economy cannot absorb the annual output of our universities through traditional employment alone,” Okebukola said. “You are leaving these gates not as job seekers, but as job creators. The skills you have acquired—critical thinking, problem-solving, and digital literacy—must be deployed to build enterprises, not just résumés.”
Vice-Chancellor Prof. Joseph Ikechebelu, in his address, highlighted several milestones achieved during the 2024/2025 academic session, including the recent full accreditation of five engineering programmes by the NUC. He noted that 74 percent of the graduating class completed their programmes within the minimum required period, a six percent improvement over the previous year.
“These 4,200 graduates have weathered industrial actions, a post-COVID academic adjustment, and global inflationary pressures on learning resources,” Ikechebelu said. “Their resilience is a testament to the UNIZIK spirit. I am proud to report that our internal tracking system shows over 60 percent of last year’s graduates are now either employed or pursuing postgraduate studies.”
Among the First Class honourees was 22-year-old Adaobi Nwosu, a Biochemistry graduate who also received the Vice-Chancellor’s Prize for Best Overall Student. Nwosu, who lost her father in her second year and worked as a part-time tutor to support her studies, told journalists she plans to pursue a master’s degree in pharmaceutical chemistry.
“My father always said education is the one thing no one can take from you,” Nwosu said. “This degree is for him. I want to go into drug discovery—specifically affordable treatments for sickle cell disease, which affects so many families in the South-East.”
The convocation also witnessed the award of honorary doctorate degrees to three distinguished Nigerians: Chief Mrs. Ifeoma Ajuba, founder of a major indigenous construction firm; Alhaji Bello Tukur, a retired Supreme Court justice; and Dr. Mercy Ibe, a reproductive health advocate. The trio were recognised for their contributions to infrastructure development, judicial reform, and maternal mortality reduction, respectively.
The university used the occasion to launch its alumni digital hub, a mobile application designed to connect graduates with mentorship opportunities, job listings, and continuing education modules. According to the Alumni Relations Office, the app had already registered over 5,000 pre-convocation signups.
Parents and guardians who attended the ceremony praised the university for improved security and crowd management. A campus-wide digital ticketing system prevented the overcrowding that marred the 2024 convocation, when three people were hospitalised due to a stampede at a degree-collection venue.
Security personnel reported no major incidents during the three-day event, which included a convocation play performed by the Department of Theatre Arts and a scientific exhibition featuring final-year engineering projects, including a solar-powered cold storage unit designed for rural fish farmers.
The graduating class of 2025 now joins the ranks of over 120,000 UNIZIK alumni worldwide. The university has scheduled the orientation of newly admitted students for the 2025/2026 session to begin on September 15.
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