216 Bag First Class as Sa’adu Zungur University Graduates 11,813

From Ahmad Muhammad,Bauchi

216 which represents (1.83 percent) students have graduated from the Bauchi State-owned Sa’adu Zungur University (SAZU) with First Class honours out of 11,813 that graduated from the varsity at the 8th , 9th, and 10th convocation ceremonies of the institution.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Fatimah Tahir, said this today during a press conference marking the combined 8th, 9th, and 10th convocation ceremonies of the institution.

She gave a breakdown of the graduating students, she stated that a total of 11,813 undergraduate students are graduating, comprising 8,387 (71.00%) males and 3,426 (29.00%) females.

“Among them, 216 (1.83%) graduated with First Class honours, 3,438 (29.10%) with Second Class Upper, 5,563 (47.09%) with Second Class Lower, 2,353 (19.92%) with Third Class, and 243 (2.06%) with Pass,” she revealed.

She added that the figure includes both regular students (10,702) and part-time students (1,111).

At the postgraduate level, the university recorded 443 graduands, with 4 (0.90%) earning Distinction, 9 (2.03%) Merit, 42 (9.48%) Credit, and 388 (87.58%) Pass.

Professor Fatima said Further breakdown shows that 25 (5.64%) obtained PhDs, 145 (32.73%) earned Academic Master’s degrees, 241 (54.40%) obtained Professional Master’s degrees, while 32 (7.22%) received Postgraduate Diplomas.

On sessional distribution, the Vice-Chancellor disclosed that the 2023/2024 academic session recorded the highest number of graduands with 5,240 (44.5%). 

This was followed by 2022/2023 with 4,064 (34.5%) and 2024/2025 with 2,509 (21.0%).

She said that, at the postgraduate level, the university produced 443 graduands across five faculties, 13 departments, and 38 programmes within the three sessions. 

The 2023/2024 academic session also recorded the highest number of postgraduate graduates, with 182 graduands.

Professor Fatima said that the first major activity of the convocation will be a lecture to be delivered by Emeritus Professor Abubakar Sani Sambo, former Vice-Chancellor of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, on the topic: “Education, Security and Sustainable Development: The Role of Universities in Northern Nigeria.”

The lecture is scheduled to take place on Friday at the 500-Seater Lecture Theatre, Main Campus, Gadau, and will be chaired by Arc. Abdu Sule Katagum.

She added that the lecture will be followed by the Chancellor’s Night at 8:00 pm.

“The grand finale of the activities will be the convocation ceremony, scheduled for Saturday, March 28, 2026, at the University Stadium, Main Campus, Gadau.

“During the ceremony, degrees will be formally conferred on graduands who have successfully completed their academic programmes and have been found worthy in character and learning.

“The convocation represents a significant milestone for our graduates, their families, and the university community. It is also an opportunity to celebrate their achievements and reaffirm our commitment to academic excellence and societal development,” she said.

In a related development,Emeritus Professor Abubakar Sani Sambo has said that Northern Nigeria is facing an imminent human capital crisis, with hundreds of thousands of skilled graduates needed over the next decade to drive sustainable development.

He said this on Friday evening while delivering a paper at a public lecture ahead of the 8th, 9th, and 10th Combined Convocation Ceremony of Sa'adu Zungur University (SAZU) Bauchi, Sambo highlighted the pressing need for engineers to install and maintain renewable energy infrastructure, as well as teachers, nurses, doctors, agronomists, ICT specialists, public administrators, and community development workers.

"The production of this human capital is the primary mission of the university system," Prof. Sambo emphasized. "Universities are the trainers of trainers. Every teacher in every primary and secondary school across Northern Nigeria passed through our faculties or institutions", he added.

He said , "the quality of education at the base depends directly on the quality of teacher preparation at the tertiary level."

Sambo stressed that universities must prioritize equipping teachers to address the unique challenges faced by students in conflict-affected areas, including trauma, multilingual learners, and girls at risk of early marriage.

He cited the Centre for Girls' Education in Kaduna as a model for effective teacher training, which has achieved remarkable results in promoting girls' education.

However, Prof. Sambo lamented that the quality and relevance of graduates produced by Nigerian universities, particularly in the North, have been questioned by employers and evaluators.

Sambo said a 2021 survey found that over 60% of employers reported that university graduates lacked practical skills, while over 40% identified poor English language communication as a barrier.

"University curricula must be continuously updated in partnership with industry to ensure that graduates are not only knowledgeable but employable, entrepreneurial, and capable of creating new enterprises," Prof. Sambo urged.