UNICAL to honor cleaners, guards, others at 35th convocation

The University of Calabar has announced plans to reward more than 100 of its staff, including cleaners, for dedication to duty and contributions to the growth of the university.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Florence Obi, made the disclosure while briefing newsmen on activities lined up for the 35th convocation ceremony of the institution.

Obi said that the affected staff would be given meritorious service award by the management of the institution.

She said that the beneficiaries would include cleaners, security guards and deans of faculties.

According to her, the six-day activities began on May 1.

She said that the convocation would be for award of first degree, diploma, postgraduate diploma, master’s degree and doctorate degree.

“This award is a deliberate design to encourage and appreciate some staff of the university who have proved their mettle in their posts of duty and have impacted positively on the progress of the institution.

“For the 35th convocation of our university, we are happy to announce that 11 students made first class, 899 students made second class (upper division), 3,396 graduated with second class (lower division) while 721 got third class.

“Also, we have 519 students for doctorate degree, 1,078 for master’s and 556 for postgraduate diploma and others.

“For our sandwich programme, 162 students made second class (upper) while 251 made second class (lower),” she said.

The vice-chancellor also said that the university planned to launch an endowment fund for hosting of the National University Games (NUGA) in 2026.

She said that the launch would enable the university to raise funds for the games and improve its facilities.

Obi said that a team from NUGA would visit the institution in 2024 to assess its preparedness for the games.