PAAU denies Offering cash rewards to the best graduating students.
Management of Prince Abubakar Audu University (PAAU) Ayingba, Kogi State, has debunked the report by an online media alleging that the University gave N2000 and N5000 as rewards to first-class and overall best graduating students during the 6th combined Convocation ceremony of the Institution.
A statement signed by the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Marietu Tenuche, described the report as false, the handiwork of mischief makers and a figment of their imagination.
“Ordinarily, the University would have kept silent and allowed the mischief-makers to live with the figment of their imagination since it is not a true reflection of what transpired.
” However, for the discerning mind who would be misled by such misinformation, it has become necessary to correct the misleading impression by setting the records straight.” The Vice-Chancellor stated.
It stated further that at no time had Prince Abubakar Audu University did offer such a reward to her best graduating and overall students who made first-class after painstaking and rigorous efforts to distinguish themselves.
She however stated that it has been the tradition of the PAAU to offer automatic employment to her best graduating and overall best students with the option of refusal.
” 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 statement
” This should not be misconstrued to be the reward from the university administration, as a corporate entity.” The statement read.
The Vice-Chancellor explained 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.
The statement further disclosed that it has been 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.
The VC pointed out that the reward to the students that are being misunderstood is only symbolic and recognised by the individual lecturers as a way of appreciating their best students, a development considered a very rare privilege by lecturers and some individuals which ought to be commended, sadly, misread as the reward coming from the University.
” Beginning from the inception of PAAU, our best graduating students have always enjoyed the option of automatic employment. The records and beneficiaries of such gestures can attest to that magnanimity.
Vice-Chancellor of the Prince Abubakar Audu University, Professor Marietu Tenuche
“We, therefore, use this medium to urge the members of the public to disregard the misleading report in circulation”.Prof. Tenuche maintained.
