The University of Port Harcourt, UNIPORT, will confer first class degrees on 363 graduates during its 35th convocation, scheduled to hold on Saturday, an official has announced.

Prof. Owunari Georgewill, Vice-Chancellor of UNIPORT, disclosed this at a news conference held in Port Harcourt as part of activities marking the combined convocation ceremony and the university’s 50th anniversary.

Mr Georgewill stated that the conferment of degrees, higher degrees, diplomas, prizes, and related ceremonies would take place from July 21 to July 26.

He explained that the convocation was primarily for students who completed their academic programmes during the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 academic sessions.

A breakdown of the figures indicates that a total of 14,861 graduands would be conferred with various qualifications during the combined convocation.

In the undergraduate category, 9,788 students would receive first degrees, with 363 of them bagging first class honours.

Under the postgraduate category, no fewer than 2,008 students would be awarded Post Graduate Diplomas, 2,131 would receive Master’s degree, and 934 would be conferred with Doctor of Philosophy degrees.

Mr Georgewill further announced that four distinguished Nigerians would receive honorary doctorate degrees.

These include the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu; the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike; the Chairman of TETFund, Aminu Masari, and Gov. Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa.

He described the convocation as a symbolic season of harvest, during which the university evaluates its progress in infrastructural development, academic programming, global visibility, research collaborations, and challenges.

Speaking on infrastructure, the vice-chancellor noted that the university had recorded considerable development through the support received from the Federal Government via Needs Assessment interventions, TETFund, and Capital Projects initiatives.

According to him, these interventions have led to the renovation of the existing structures, the construction of new office buildings, and the upgrading of learning environments across various faculties.

Mr Georgewill said that UNIPORT could now boast of best laboratories, sports complex, fully equipped health facilities, a counselling centre, entrepreneurial centre, and world-class Convocation Arena – all aimed at producing a well-rounded graduate.