The Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, would graduate 34 first class students at its 25th convocation ceremony on Saturday.
Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Musbau Akanji, made the disclosure on Tuesday at a pre-convocation press briefing in Minna.
He said the institution would also graduate 3, 505 students in various classes for the 2014/2015 academic session.
“We shall be graduating a total of 3,505 students. Out of this, 2, 787 will be graduating with first degrees, 220 with Post Graduate Diplomas, 464 Masters and 34 Doctorate degrees.
“In the first degree category, 34 are in First Class, 733 are in the Second Class Upper Division and 1,308 in Second Class Lower Division.
“A total of 638 are in Third Class while 74 others have Pass degrees,” he said.
Akanji said that the number of students who graduated with First Class degrees increased compared to that of the previous academic session.
He also said that the graduands’ original certificate would be ready for collection immediately after the convocation ceremony.
The vice chancellor further disclosed that the university would collaborate with the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Tallahassee, USA, in staff and students exchange as well as supervision of doctoral students.
Akanji added that the university recently signed an MOU with University of Johannesburg in South Africa in the area of Molecular Biology of Mycotoxicological studies relating to food safety and storage.
The university, he said, would continue to train and re-train it staff for effective and efficient productivity.
“With the limited available resources, we have awarded 79 study fellowships.
“Out of these, 52 are tenable locally while 27 are for foreign universities. We have sponsored 206 staff to conferences and workshops locally and internationally,” he added.
He said 134 academic staff were promoted, with 37 to professorial ranks and 97 to higher ranks.
Akanji also said that 156 senior non-teaching staff were promoted while 36 technologists and 71 junior staff also moved to higher ranks.
He added that the university would soon commence e-learning to enable staff deliver lectures wherever they were.
