FUT Minna to graduate 5,816 students

The Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna has revealed that no fewer than 5,816 students for the 2023/2024 academic session will be awarded BSc, Masters, Postgraduate Diplomas, and PhD degrees during the 2023/2024 & 33rd convocation ceremony scheduled for Saturday, February 1, 2025.

The Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Professor Faruk Kuta, disclosed this at a pre-convocation press conference held at the university campus, Gidan Kwano, Minna, on Tuesday, 28th January 2025.

Prof Kuta explained that the graduating students are made up of 4,955 undergraduates, 632 Master’s graduates, 105 Postgraduate Diploma recipients, and 124 PhD recipients.

He added, “The undergraduate degree is categorized into various classes, which include First Class (119), Second Class Upper (1,431), Second Class Lower (2,341), Third Class (972), as well as Pass (92).”

While enumerating some of the landmark achievements recorded during the period under review, Kuta noted that to deliver cutting-edge education, the university has introduced 13 new academic programmes that align with contemporary societal needs and global competitiveness.

He added that the programmes have been assessed and endorsed by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and include Data Science, Software Engineering, Public Health, Forestry and Wildlife Technology, Forensic Science, Industrial Mathematics, Meteorology, Interior Design, Furniture Design, Landscape Architecture, Food Engineering, Human Nutrition and Dietetics, and Agribusiness.

The VC further said that the expansion of the programme reflects the university’s commitment to staying at the forefront of academic excellence, preparing students with the skills and expertise necessary to thrive both nationally and globally.

The university also explained that it had received various teams from the National Universities Commission (NUC) and professional bodies such as the Surveyors Council of Nigeria, the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria, and the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria, saying that the programmes have attained full accreditation status.

He disclosed that the university is in partnership with the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes, Institute for Procurement Environment and Social Standards, Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi, Montana Technology USA, and University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, Ghana, in the area of human capacity development for the proposed FUT Minna program in Mining Engineering. The Africa Centre of Excellence for Mycotoxin and Food Safety, Biomin Holdings, Austria, and Bicro Biocentre Limited Liability Company, Zagreb, Croatia, are also partners in the commercialization of research outputs.

He stated that in the area of staff and students, the departments of Animal Biology and Geology have exchanged postgraduate students and academic staff under the African Water Resources Mobility Network for the past four years, which has boosted the internationalization of the university.

The VC said that recently, the West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use of the university signed an MOU with Hochschule Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences, Germany, to enhance the university’s output in the training of doctoral students in climate change and human habitation, primarily supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Germany.

Professor Adamu stressed that the university has continued to undertake staff development programs so that the young shall grow, pointing out that during the period under review, the institution had awarded 94 study fellowships and also sponsored 112 staff to workshops and conferences. He said staff promotions to various ranks have continued without disruption, with over 74 staff promoted to the ranks of Professor and Associate Professor, 87 other academic staff promoted to other ranks, while 174 senior non-teaching staff and 34 junior staff enjoyed promotion within the year.

According to the Vice-Chancellor, the convocation lecture will be delivered by Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, on January 31, 2025, at 3 pm at the University Auditorium, main campus, Gidan Kwano. Meanwhile, the convocation ceremony is expected to be held on Saturday, 1st February 2025, at 10 am at the Suleimanu Kumo Convocation Square.