From CHARLES ONYEKWERE, Enugu
University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, has conferred a Doctor of Law degree (Honoris Causa) on Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State for his outstanding contributions to the advancement of quality education.
Mbah bagged the degree at the 53rd convocation ceremony of UNN at Nsukka during the weekend.
Responding, he reaffirmed his commitment to transform the education sector in order to ensure that younger generations are able to compete among their contemporaries globally.
“The recognition is a nod to the values driving the modest achievements we have recorded in the last 18 months. Those values are shaped, particularly by the conviction that education is the best legacy to bequeath to the emerging generation.
“Also, this award is an inspiration to double down on our commitment to serve the people and put Enugu State on a growth trajectory that reflects its true potentials.
“It is a point we have demonstrated, no less, in two budget cycles by committing one-third of our entire budget sum to the education sector.
“We are giving our children an education that will make them truly competitive in a fast evolving global work space,” he said.
While appreciating the Acting Vice Chancellor of UNN, Professor Polycarp Chigbu, chairman and members of the governing council, university senate and the management of the institution for the award, Mbah assured of his administration’s continuous support to the university by strengthening its capacity to deliver and attain the goals and dreams of its founders.
In his convocation address, Professor Chigbu announced that the university graduated 11,143 students, including over 1,000 postgraduates, and would additionally confer two recipients with the title of emeritus professor, as well as another two recipients with honorary doctorate degrees.
He recalled the successes of the institution under his leadership to include the recording of the highest ranking in SCOPUS database for scholarly output among Nigerian universities with over 7,025 publications from 5,813 authors.
