The Vice Chancellor, University of Benin, Prof. Lilian Salami, yesterday, said the school had granted ‘amnesty’ to 500 students who had overstayed in the school for several reasons.

This came as the university graduated 17,517 in two seasons, which was slowed down by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Briefing journalists at the Senate chamber of the university on the school’s 46th and 47th convocation ceremony and 51st Founders’ Day, Salami said a total of 282 of the students graduated with First Class in the combined sessions.

She said while 125 bagged first class in the 2018/2019 session, 157 made first class in the 2019/2020 academic session, adding that a total of 8,996 and 8,521 graduated from the two sessions, respectively.

She said: “The two sessions had to be compressed, even at great stress to the lecturers and students in order to ensure that the students graduated as planned and that no student lost any year. We commend the lecturers and students for enduring the strain.

“Furthermore, the cases of more than 500 students, who had overstayed in the university were looked into by the Senate and granted ‘amnesty’ to graduate them from the system.

“We have also introduced a method whereby certificates of graduands are available for collection right from the day of the convocation.”

According to the vice-chancellor, for the both sessions, 361 graduated with doctorate degree, 2,511 masters degree and 556 with postgraduate diplomas.

Salami added that, as part of activities for the convocation, the university would be conferring honorary doctorate degree on Lt.-General Theophilus Danjuma; Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; Dr. Natalia Kanem; Mr. Oluwakemi Pinheiro, SAN and Dr. Thomas Illube, adding that the former Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Osayuki Oshodin would be invested as professor emeritus.

(Courtesy Vanguard)