Seventy-four graduands secured First Class degrees out of 17,576 graduating students of the Taraba State University (TSU), Jalingo, during the institution’s 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th combined convocation held at the main campus of the university in Jalingo, over the weekend.

Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, while congratulating the graduates on the successful completion of their academic studies, also commended the university management for the successful hosting of the convocation ceremony.

He explained that his administration reduced tuition fees in higher institutions across the state to enable more access to tertiary education and ease the financial burden on students and their parents.

Kefas further stated that his administration funded the accreditation of several academic programmes, secured approval for the induction of Medical Laboratory Science students, and facilitated the admission of Law graduates into the Nigerian Law School.

He reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening the education sector and urged the university to move beyond the award of certificates and position itself as a centre for research, innovation, and practical solutions to societal challenges.

He also charged the institution to produce graduates equipped not only with academic knowledge but also with the skills and creativity needed to address real-world problems.

In his address earlier, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Sunday Paul Bako, urged the graduates to become good ambassadors of the university, shun the pursuit of immediate gratification, uphold integrity and develop problem-solving skills.

Professor Bako disclosed that a total of 25,000 students graduated from the 2021–2022 academic session, 4,609 from 2022–2023, 4,666 from 2023–2024 and 5,402 from 2024–2025.

He further explained that 74 of the graduating students have secured first-class degrees across the four academic sessions: 22 first-class graduates from the 2021–2022 session, 25 from 2022–2023, 15 from 2023–2024 and 12 from 2024–2025.