Miss Jane Onyinyechi Ogwo of the Department of Maritime Management Technology has come out the best overall graduating student among 2,506 in the 2017/2018 academic year of the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO). Her CGPA was 4.90.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Francis Chukwuemeka Eze made this known to journalists in a press briefing outlining the activities of the institution’s 31st convocation on Saturday, April 6. The meeting held at the Council/Senate Chamber.
The VC also informed of the laurels won by other three students in different competitions in the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering. They are Jeremiah Ezieboma, Oluebube Onuoha and Chuka Ezeoguine under the name: Team Banga from FUTO.
He said they won the National Unilever Idea Trophy in 2018 as they represented Nigeria in Africa and emerged first. The team will further represent Africa in London in the 2019 world Unilever Idea Trophy Contest.
“Miss Elizabeth Anyanacho of the Department of Statistics qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games after winning the Nigerian Taekwondo International Opening.
“Five students of the Department of Civil Engineering emerged first position in the maiden National Design Competition among all Civil Engineering Schools in Nigeria,” he also informed.
He equally doffed his hat for some academic staff over their breakthroughs in the areas of research and invention.
The scholars are Engr. Dr. Chinweuba Kevin Igwilo of the Department of Petroleum Engineering whom he said has a patent for inventing ‘Persea Americana and Pleurotus’ as fluid loss control for additives during drilling of an oil and gas well. And Engr. Prof. B. O. Obah of the Department of Petroleum & Engineering who won the ‘Tetfund National Research Fund for his proposal on Development of direct gas metering device for flared gas measurement.
Congratulating the graduates Eze also commended members of the staff for their efforts in the training of the graduating students.
Prof. Eze explained during ‘a question and answer session’ with the journalists that the need for re-accreditation is necessitated by the desire to maintain standards in the institution, adding that it is a desideratum.
A part of his address says “It is gratifying to note that the University has continued to enjoy the full accreditation status of all its academic programmes by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
A breakdown of the graduands is as follows: First Class Honours, 42; Second Class Honours (Upper Division) 834; Second Class Honours (Lower Division) 1, 352; Third Class Honours 254; Pass 4 and Unclassified Degree (Doctor of Optometry) 20.
A total of 421 will receive higher degrees –Ph.D 29; M. Sc., M.Tech., MPH, M.Eng. MBA 241, and PGD 151.
He announced that there would be no conferment of honorary degrees on anybody.
He thanked his principal officers, deans, directors, heads of departments, coordinators of Units and other members of staff for making the convocation a reality.
Prof. Eze also thanked journalists in the state “for projecting the positive image of the University to the outside world”.
Many of the academic and non-academic staff were in attendance.
NIGERIAN HORN
