JOY AHIAKWO BAGS FIRST-CLASS DEGREE, WINS SEVERAL AWARDS AS THE BEST GRADUATING STUDENT. OF CALEB UNIVERSITY

By Inemesit Ebu & Emmanuel Ukpong

It was a moment of joy and excitement on the faces of final year Students of Caleb University on the 21st January, 2025 when the school authority organized the 14th Convocation ceremony. Students were awarded First Degree in various disciplines as well as Post Graduate Degrees.

The Vice Chancellor of the Caleb University, Professor Nosa Owens- Ibie spoke on the giant strides the institution have made in recent years to achieve excellence in the School Community and amongst the students, which have impacted on the academic excellence and the School global rating. He therefore solicited for the public support for the school to continue to maintain standards.

In a convocation lecture with the theme; “OPTIMIZING YOUR GOD-GIVEN POTENTIALS IN MAKING A GLOBAL DIFFERENCE”. the convocation Lecturer, Bro Gbile Akanni, Overseer of Living Faith Church, Gboko admonished the graduating students to go to the world and make a positive difference so as to reflect on the mission, vision and the core values of the institution.

He described the graduating students as trail blazers and charged them to maintain so in their public lives. He said the training that have been impacted on them with such qualifications, discipline and training will not make them to fail or be stagnant as he challenged them to break records for others to follow.

He advised them to expect failure, challenging times in the course of their lives’ journeys but that such experiences, though unfavorable, will make them tough and be successful in whatever they do.

He charged them to go out to the society to be solution providers to the emerging challenges in the world.

Of the total number of one thousand one hundred and seventeen (1,117) students that graduated, Miss AHIAKWO Joy Nwachukwu stood out as the most outstanding student among her colleagues.

Her academic brilliance, excellence and hard work earned her B.Sc First Class in Industrial Chemistry which culminated in the award of several Prizes to her with monetary and letter of Academic Excellence value.

This young lady was awarded Best Graduating Student with a CGPA of 4.50 and above in the College of Pure and Applied Chemistry who has not spent more than the minimum period for the Degree programme.

She earned Joshua Ayedun Prize for the Best graduating student in the College of Pure and Applied Sciences.
She also earned Peter Okebukola Science Foundation Prize for the Best Graduating Student in the University, Professor Nimbe Adedipe’s Prize for the Best Graduating Student in the College of Pure and Applied Sciences.

Other Prizes she earned for herself included Caleb University Alumni Network ( CUAN) Medal of Excellence Prize for Students who graduated with a CGPA of 4.50 and above.

She became the Best Graduating Student with a CGPA of 4.50 and above in the Industrial Chemistry Programme.

In her valedictory speech on behalf of other Graduating Students, she thanked God Almighty for making their academic pursuit very easy and successful. She described their experience in Caleb University as that of growth, perseverance and learning – both academically and spiritually. She thanked the school authority and their parents for giving them the opportunity to excell.

According to her, she conquered the uncertainty at the initial stage in the school which eventually gave her the determination to work for excellence and ultimately achieved it.
She said as a Trailblazer set in the school, they were determined to challenge limits, forge new paths and leave an unforgettable mark.

She said that the ambition to succeed has made the Trailblazer set of 2024 to thrive despite obstacles.

She advised her fellow Graduates to own the moment and use it to create a future that will reflect the greatness within them. She reminded them that the world is waiting for them to make a difference, challenging them to go forth , boldly blazing the trails and illuminating the world with Christ’s light.

Part of the program for the convocation ceremony was the conferment of Honorary Degrees to some First Class Traditional Rulers. The occasion was also attended by Vice Chancellors of some Universities in Nigeria.