We didn't reward our best graduating students with N2000, N5000 - PAAU VC, Prof. Tenuche, clears the air

The Management of Prince Abubakar Audu University, PAAU, Ayingba, Kogi State, has debunked media reports, claiming the University gave N2,000 and N5,000 as reward to their first class and overall best graduating students, respectively, in the just concluded 6th combined convocation ceremony of the institution.

Our Kogi State Correspondent, reports that the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Marietu Tenuche, in a rebuttal sent to journalists yesterday evening, described the report as false, saying it was the handiwork of mischief makers, trying to pull down the university's achievement.

Describing the report as the figment of their imagination, Prof. Tenuche, said Prince Abubakar Audu University had no time, reward their best graduating and overall students, who made first class after painstaking and rigorous efforts to distinguish themselves.

Throwing more light on the allegation, the University don, explained that, it has been the tradition of the university to offer automatic employment to its best graduating and overall best students with the option of refusal.

According to her, the best and overall graduating students, who made first class at the 6th convocation ceremony held at the weekend of 29th January, 2022, could therefore not have been treated any less.

Continuing, Prof. Tenuche, said, "it may interest those behind the misleading information to note, that while the University is yet to make a pronouncement on the reward for the best graduating and first class students, we are not unmindful of the fact that some individual lecturers in some Faculties and Departments of the students who excelled, with particular reference to the Faculty of Agriculture, made personal efforts to appreciate their best graduating students.

"This should not be misconstrued to be the reward from the University administration, as a corporate entity. "It is unfortunate that personal cash donations by some Departments and individual lecturers to their students to reward hard - work and excellence through the University, has been mischievously misunderstood.

"It is the tradition of PAAU for donations by individuals to best graduating Students, be paid into the University’s Prizes Account, while the University thereafter issue cheques to the deserving recipients, an action that has been misconstrued".

She maintained that the reward to the students that is being misunderstood is only symbolic and a recognition by the individual lecturers as a way of appreciating their best students. 

This according to her, is a development considered a very rare privilege by lecturers and some individuals, which ought to be commended. 

"Sadly, it has been misread as the reward coming from the University," she averred.

Prof. Tenuche, appealed to members of the public to disregard the misleading report in circulation, adding that, the university will at the appropriate time, announce its rewards to our deserving graduates.

Some online media, had reported that the university rewarded its first class and overall best graduating students with N2000 and N5000 respectively.

The development attracted wide condemnation as many Nigerians accused the management of demoralizing the effort of the students, who came out in flying colours.

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