By Suzy Chukwuechedom Anambra
The Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, will graduate a total of 16,842 students at its 20th and 21st Combined Convocation Ceremonies scheduled to hold from November 15 to 20, 2026.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ugochukwu Bond Anyaehie, announced this on Thursday, November 12, 2026, at a press briefing held at the Council Chambers, Administrative Block of the university.
Prof. Anyaehie said the graduands, drawn from the Classes of 2025 and 2026, had been found worthy in character and learning.
“194 First Class, 603 PhDs of the total figure, 14,803 will receive first degrees while 2,039 will receive postgraduate degrees”, he said.
For the first degree category, 194 graduands bagged First Class Honours, 4,230 got Second Class Upper, 7,992 got Second Class Lower, 1,936 got Third Class, 65 got Pass, while 486 got unclassified medical and professional degrees.
At the postgraduate level, 603 will receive Doctor of Philosophy, 29 will receive Master of Philosophy/PhD, 1,113 will receive Master’s degrees, while 294 will receive Postgraduate Diplomas.
The Vice-Chancellor said the convocation is not only a celebration of academic excellence but also a testimony that his vision, “A Greater UNIZIK is Possible,” is taking root.
On the$617.7m iDICE, 2Gbps Bandwidth, 300 MBBS Quota, Prof. Anyaehie used the briefing to present his one-year scorecard in office, listing major milestones in ICT, administration, health, security and academics.
He said his administration successfully secured UNIZIK’s selection into the Federal Government’s $617.7 million Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) programme, supported by the Bank of Industry, Agence Francaise de Developpement, IsDB and AfDB.
According to him, the university has expanded its total bandwidth to 2Gbps via AFD-NgREN, with Galaxy Backbone equipment already set up to activate an additional 300Mbps.
He added that a TETFund ICT Experience Centre has been established at Hall 2 of the Digital Library for AI, robotics, cybersecurity and software engineering, while computer labs have been equipped with 200 All-in-One desktops, 20 high-performance laptops, 85-inch and 32-inch interactive smart screens, Intel Xeon Core servers and video conferencing equipment.
On administration, the Vice-Chancellor said the university has deployed an Online Graduate Clearance System to eliminate physical clearance bottlenecks, fully digitised historical registries, academic results and transcript archives, and upgraded the VC Student Portal for direct, real-time communication between students and management.
In the health sector, he said the university secured full Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) re-accreditation and tripled its MBBS annual admission quota from 100 to 300. He added that the University Medical Centre is being upgraded to operate as a 24-hour emergency facility.
On campus security and welfare, Prof. Anyaehie said CCTV coverage and perimeter lighting have been expanded, while hostel water schemes, restrooms and weekly power generator diesel allocations have been rehabilitated.
The Vice-Chancellor further disclosed that UNIZIK is now ranked joint 4th in Nigeria in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings.
He said the university’s debate team won the 13th All Nigerian Universities Debate Championship (ANUDC) for the first time in the institution’s history, while UNIZIK athletes secured silver and bronze medals at the 12th FASU Games in Cairo, Egypt.
Prof. Anyaehie charged the graduands to anchor their careers on discipline, self-reliance and excellence.
“My charge to our graduands as they step into the world is to anchor their careers on Discipline, Self-Reliance, and Excellence. They are the living proof that A Greater UNIZIK is Possible,” he said.
