Departments that ‘hoard’ first class at ABU

Students of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, have said that their school is one of the foremost higher institutions in Nigeria with rich history, facilities and respectable alumni, but it’s unfortunate that some departments in the institution traditionally do not give their graduates first class degrees.
Currently, ABU was ranked the best university in the country by the National Universities Commission (NUC). ABU, according to students, has produced many professionals and top-class political leaders. The late President Umar Musa Yar’adua was an alumnus of the school.
Here are the departments students claim do not give first class degrees to their graduates.
Veterinary Medicine
Veterinary Medicine department is one of the departments in Ahmadu Bello University that glorifies mediocrity, the students said.
Sociology
Students studying Sociology must have given up hope of clinching first class since they cannot remember the last time their department produced a first class graduate. According to ABU student, the last first class graduate of the department is currently the Head of Sociology Department.
Architecture
This course which largely involves technical drawings has over the years proved to be very difficult for the students. Although students said that the department has produced one first class student recently after so many years.
While some of the students opined that the dearth of first-class graduates in the department is caused by the cumbersomeness of their module, others believe most students studying Architecture in the university do not possess sound background knowledge in technical drawing.
Arts and Social Sciences
This department, students said, usually prepares the minds of new intakes to forget first class in it. Students who strive for first class end up with second class upper. In other words, first class is a no-go area for Arts and Social Science students at ABU.
Quantity Surveying
The story about the dearth of first class graduates in the Department of Quantity Surveying at ABU is a popular one. Nearly all students in the school know that the governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai is the last person to graduate with first class in the department.
Statistics
Like all other science courses in ABU, Statistics Department tells you that you cannot graduate with a first class if you are in its department.
Biochemistry
The last time this department had a distinction student was in 1999, a student who graduated from the department said.
Mathematics
In Mathematics, no student has recently broken the jinx of making first class.
Physics
Here, like Chemistry, the highest a student can achieve is second class upper.
Chemistry
Chemistry in some universities is a dreaded course. ABU students too have the same fear about Chemistry not because it is difficult to pass, but because some lecturers make it difficult to pass.
People might say that the rich profile of ABU is not in consonance with the profile of some of these departments. So, if you want to study any of these courses and you are determined to graduate with first class, Ahmadu Bello University might not be the right choice for you.
National Universities Commission (NUC) has ranked Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, the best university in Nigeria.
The commission’s latest ranking, placed Ahmadu Bello University on the top out of 111 universities on the list, thereby displacing University of Lagos (UNILAG) to the second position and Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) to the third.
The NUC’s ranking placed five federal universities at the top of the list, leaving the sixth position to Covenant University, Ota.
Among the state universities, Lagos State University (LASU) retains its position as the best, taking 16th position on the list.
Rhema University, Aba, Wesley University of Science and Technology, Ondo City and Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, occupied the bottom three; that is 109th, 110th and 111th positions respectively.

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