No fewer than 72 students of Edo State University Iyamho graduated with first class honours as the institution prepares to confer degrees on a total of 850 graduands at its forthcoming convocation ceremony.
The Vice-Chancellor, Victor Adetimirin , disclosed this on Tuesday during a press briefing held to mark the university’s 10th Founder’s Day and 7th Convocation Ceremony.
He said the convocation, scheduled for Saturday, March 28, 2026, will see the graduation of 693 undergraduate students alongside 157 postgraduate students, bringing the total number of graduands to 850.
According to him, the figure represents a significant increase of 50.9 per cent compared to the number of graduates produced by the institution in the previous year.
Providing a breakdown of the postgraduate category, the Vice-Chancellor noted that 21 of the 167 postgraduate students would be awarded Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees across various disciplines.
He attributed the steady rise in postgraduate output to the expanding capacity of the university’s faculty and the continued growth of its College of Postgraduate Studies.
Adetimirin reiterated that the establishment of the university was driven by the need to address the increasing demand for quality tertiary education in Edo State and Nigeria at large, with a focus on fostering socio-economic development and producing graduates capable of competing in a rapidly evolving global environment.
“We remain committed to our vision of becoming a centre of excellence in quality teaching, research, innovation and community development,” he said, adding that this vision has continued to guide the institution’s academic stability and strides in digital innovation.
The Vice-Chancellor identified the full accreditation of the university’s MBBS programme by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria as a major academic milestone, describing it as a testament to the institution’s commitment to high standards in medical education.
He further stated that the university has gained national recognition for quality and innovation, noting that it was ranked the best state university and third overall among Nigerian universities in the maiden Open Educational Resources (OER) ranking conducted by the National Universities Commission.
Adetimirin also highlighted the institution’s investment in advanced learning technology, including the acquisition of an Anatomage table—an innovative anatomical visualisation system widely used in medical training—making it one of the first universities in Nigeria to deploy such technology.
On infrastructure, he said the university has recorded substantial development with the construction of modern lecture theatres, laboratories and administrative buildings designed to enhance teaching, research and overall student experience.
He added that the institution currently has a student population of about 6,000, stressing that management remains committed to continuous infrastructural expansion in order to sustain competitiveness within the nation’s higher education sector.
The convocation ceremony forms part of activities lined up to commemorate the university’s Founder’s Day anniversary.
—By Staff Reporter