The Vice Chancellor, Professor Joseph Kinanee while addressing the students said that the gesture was to motivate and encourage outstanding performances and to also instil the spirit of studentship and competencies among fresh students.

He welcomed the fresh students and congratulated them for making the best of a competitive opportunity and urged them to be focused and ensure that the huge financial and moral commitments of their sponsors were not in vain.

The Vice Chancellor who stated that cultism and examination malpractices were frown upon by the university informed them that close to ten students had been suspended over alleged involvement in cultism, pending investigation by relevant committees.

Over twenty students he added in the 2014/2015 were also rusticated or expelled over examination malpractice, pointers to the fact that the university had zero tolerance for such social vices.

He thanked the supportive efforts of the State Governor and visitor to the university, Barrister Nyesom Ezenwo Wike and for his tremendous backing to the institution deriving from his premium on education especially as a one time supervising federal minister of education. The Chief Executive also expressed appreciation to the governor for the construction of the access road to the university which had been in a deplorable state prior to his administration.

Professor Kinanee also commended Governing Council, Senate, older Students as well as academic and non teaching staff for ensuring a peaceful and stable study environment and wellbeing of the institution which he said was a land mark institution of excellence poised for better days.

A total of 2,630 students were admitted through the UTME and Direct Entry programmes conducted by JAMB in the 2015/2016 academic session. Out of this number, 541 were admitted into the Faculty of Business studies, 280 into the Faculty of Education, 569 into the faculty of Humanities, 553 into the faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences.

Faculty of Social Sciences, Vocational and Technical Education had 552 and 135 admitted students respectively. Of the total admissions this year, about 12% were by Direct Entry while another significant percentage came into the part-time programme.

About 30% of the total provisional admissions were yet to present themselves for clearance.