No fewer than 22 students of the 660 students who graduated from the Godfrey Okoye University (GOUNI), Enugu, bagged first class honours at the institution’s 13th convocation ceremony.

Christian Anieke, the university’s vice-chancellor, who disclosed this during the convocation held at the university’s permanent site at Ugwuomu, Enugu, on Saturday, said that 210 students graduated with second class upper.

The vice-chancellor said that from the first convocation held in 2013 to date, the university has produced 4,431 graduates.

He said that Ms Mary Nkenna Azubuike of the Department of Psychology emerged as the best graduating student with a 5.96 Cumulative Grade Point Average.

“For the first time in the history of our university, a student who had been the vice chancellor for one day emerged the best graduating student of this remarkable set,” he said.

Mr Anieke disclosed that the university had achieved many milestones since its inception, especially in entrepreneurship. According to him, within one year, the directorate of entrepreneurship has successfully trained and empowered 200 students, with micro startups worth more than N11 million in microcredit, to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams.

Advising the graduands, Anieke said, “Higher education is not about landing a job or launching a startup but about building a foundation for lifelong learning, critical thinking and personal growth.”

The vice-chancellor said the university was in partnership with some foreign universities, adding that it had tremendously improved the visibility and exposure of the university’s research team to the developments in their fields.

He added that GOUNI’s DOE, in partnership with Leuphana University of Germany, Mt. Kenya University, and the University of Venda in South Africa, was in its second year of implementing DAAD-funded N90 million in Sustainable Development Goals Partnership Projects.

According to him, under the grant, GOUNI has trained and empowered 700 students through the Student Training for Entrepreneurial Promotion-Sustainability programme.

“The SDG-partnerships projects have placed GOUNI among universities implementing the United Nations SDGs in the Global South,” Anieke said.

In his remarks, Governor Peter Mbah lauded the university for its contributions to society’s development.

Describing unemployment as a challenge facing the country, Mr Mbah said his administration had invested in technology, security, and other areas to enhance the well-being of Enugu residents.

He, however, congratulated the graduating students, their parents and guardians, and expressed appreciation to the Enugu Catholic Diocese for establishing the university.

The Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese and proprietor of GOUNI, Callistus Onaga, said the university had been growing and expanding in both infrastructure and structure.

Mr Onaga said the university had a total of 89 programmes, comprising 43 undergraduate and 46 postgraduate programmes, including PhD programmes.

Congratulating Anieke on the successes recorded, Mr Onaga encouraged the graduating students to continue to be beacons of excellence in every nook and cranny of society, where they would practice what they learnt.

One of the recipients of a doctorate in Business Management and founder of Tribu Hotel, Enugu, Nnamdi Ozor, expressed gratitude over the honour bestowed on him by the university.

He also expressed his willingness to continue giving back to society, while pledging to partner with the school to nurture and train future leaders.

The convocation was attended by the secretary to the Enugu government, the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Ignatius Kaigama, GOUNI principal officers, commissioners, students, parents, guardians, and other dignitaries.

(NAN)