Sola Ojo, Kaduna
A total of 38 students have graduated with distinctions at the joint convocation ceremony of the Division of Agricultural Colleges (DAC), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) on Saturday,
The event which was held at the College of Agriculture and Animal Science, Mando, Kaduna, saw 354 other students graduate with upper credit and 473 with lower credit respectively.
The three National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) awarding colleges under the division are Samaru College of Agriculture, Zaria, College of Agriculture and Animal Science, Mando, Kaduna and Kabba College of Agriculture, Kogi State.
Declaring the convocation open, the Vice-Chancellor of ABU, Prof. Ibrahim Garba said that the 1, 165 graduands were of the 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 academic sessions; 38 graduated with distinction, 354 upper credit, 473 lower credit while 300 came out with a pass.
Director of the division, Prof. Najume, Ibrahim Giginya, who identified inadequate release of funds as the institution’s major challenge, called for remarkable improvement on the releases and upward review of funds for the running of academic, non-academic and other programmes of the institution.
According to him, the funding of the institution is mainly from Federal budgetary appropriation, especially personnel, capital and overhead of the division. He added that the division was still following up on re-engagement of its colleges and other monotechniques into the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) grant.
The director urged the National Assembly to fast track the approval for re-engagement of the monotechniques to be among the beneficiaries of the fund.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor tasked the graduands to be good ambassadors of the Division and Ahmadu Bello University at all times.
He said: “I urge you to use the skills, knowledge and training you acquired in meeting the new challenges you are going to face in the larger society.”