The Kwara State University, Malete says it will confer Honorary Degrees on the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, and Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, during the combined 8th and 9th convocation ceremony of the institution.
The Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Mustapha Akanbi, made the disclosure on Monday while briefing newsmen.
He spoke on the programme of activities for the combined convocation ceremony.
According to Prof. Akanbi, others to be honoured are KWASU Chancellor, Dr. John Bamidele, Dr Muhammadu Indimi, Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu, Alhaji Kamoru Yusuf and Babatunde Omotowa.
He said: These individuals are being honoured for their contributions to national development in their various endeavours.
“Mrs. Buhari will be honoured with Doctor of Entrepreneurship, Prof. Gambari, Doctor of Letters, Dr. Adewumi and Alhaji Yusuf with Doctor of Technology, Alhaji Rabiu, Doctor of Business and Mr. Omotowa with a Doctor of Science degree.
“The honorary Degrees will be conferred on them during our convocation for Doctorates and Masters graduands on Saturday, December 11.”
Akanbi added that the school produced 98 First-Class graduates out of the 6,620 students that graduated in the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 academic sessions.
Prof. Akanbi said 3,864 of the students were for the 2019/2020 session while 2,756 were for the 2020/2021 session.
He said: “In addition, we are graduating 321 students for higher degrees in 2019/2020 session and 96 in the 2020/2021 session.
“Due to the prevailing situation with respect to COVID-19, all the ceremonies will be conducted in Hybrid Mode – virtual and physical.
“Therefore, only First-Class graduands, a few Second class Upper graduands and prize winners will be allowed into the University’s Mini Convocation Arena for the conferment of first degrees on Friday, December 10.
“On Saturday, December 11, all Doctorates and few Masters’ degree graduands will be allowed physical presence at the ceremony.”
On academic growth of the institution, Prof. Akanbi said eight programmes earned full accreditation status in 2020, while nine programmes went through resource visitation by the National Universities Commission during the 2020/2021 session.
In terms of discipline, the Vice Chancellor said between 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 academic sessions, 87 students were expelled from the University.
“The students were involved in examination malpractice, drug-related offences, internet fraud, robbery, among other anti-social behaviours,” he said.
Prof. Akanbi, however, called on the state government to restore the institution’s subvention as all its activities have been funded through internally generated revenue.
He said: “Our departments are run with fewer staff in spite of the expanding student population.
“The university has 39 academic departments and 53 programmes, so it is our hope that subvention is restored soon by the government and more academic staff recruited for departments to enable them grow.
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