For the first time since the inception of the 27-year-old University of Uyo, five female students of the institution have bagged First Class degrees in the 2018 Bar Final Examination conducted by the Nigerian Law School in August.
They were among the 161 candidates who bagged First Class degrees of the 5,846 candidates from different Law Departments in both public and private Nigerian universities.
Of the number which is the highest in the history of the school, females topped the list of First Class graduates with 113 while males were 48.
A breakdown shows that University of Nigeria and University of Lagos got 20 each while Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Ibadan and Afe Babalola University came second with 12 each.
Adekunle Ajasin University had one; Ahmadu Bello University, two; Ambrose Alli University, one; Anambra State University, two; Babcock University, four; Bayero University, one; BAZE, one; Benson Idahosa University, one; Benue State University, one; Delta State University, five; Ebonyi, four; Ekiti University, two; Enugu State University, three; Igbenedion, two.
Others are Imo State University with two; Kogi, one; Lagos State University, one; Nnamdi Azikiwe University, seven; Olabisi Onabanjo University, five; Osun, four; Rivers State University, four; University of Abuja, three; University of Benin, five; University of Calabar, two; University of Ilorin, seven; University of Jos, one and UDUS, one.
A statement signed by Isa Chiroma, the Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, said the institution had 29 First Class graduates out of the 4,294 candidates who sat for the August 2017 bar examinations.
A breakdown of the 2018 shows that of 5,846 students who participated in the examination, 4,633 candidates or 79.25 per cent were successful, 218 or 3.73 per cent with conditional pass, 965 or 16.5 per cent failed, and 30 or 0.51 per cent were absent.
“In terms of overall performance, 161 candidates or 2.75 per cent were graded with First Class, 695 (11.89 per cent) with Second Class Upper, 1,276 (21.83 per cent) with Second Class Lower and 2,501 (42.78 per cent) with Pass.”
The Call to Bar Ceremony will hold on November 27, 28, and 29 in Abuja.