 Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku has given automatic appointment to 49 students who bad first class in their degrees at the Taraba State University Jalingo. They are among the 8,525 students that graduated during the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th Combined Convocation Ceremony on Saturday. Our correspondent filed in this report. This group had a third set of graduands of Taraba State University since its inception in 2004. The graduands are made up of 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th Combined Sets. In his address, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Vincent Tenebe, said the institution had witnessed a rapid academic and infrastructural transformation. He noted that due to financial support from Taraba State Government, the university had been ranked as one of the best 20 universities in the country. Thus a departure from the past when it was ranked 170. He also revealed that the number of professors had increased from 2 in 2017 to 79. We also have 106 postgraduate diplomas, 311 master's degrees and one PhD. A PhD which is to be awarded to an hour Herbert Rufus who has now made history as the first PhD graduate of Taraba State University. All our first-class graduates who are interested in academics would be employed if they so apply. Governor Darius Ishiakou pledged to support the institution in attending the founding fathers' dream. He explained that his administration has done much in repositioning education in the state. We rejuvenated education at the secondary level by rehabilitating, furnishing, providing teaching aids, repositioning the West African Education Council, WIEC office, conducted continuous training and retraining of teachers under the 3000 rescue teachers scheme. And this resulted in moving Taraba State from a poor performance of WIEC from a dismaled 18% to 86%. Making Taraba State the first in the whole of the not for four years. The Delta State Government commanded Governor Darius Ishiakou for the transformation that took place in the state both in education and infrastructure. I thank God for what I've seen in the Taraba State University. I saw the short cry that they have moved in just the three years. I think that's about the three years they've moved to where they are. I'm truly very impressed with what I've seen. I've come to read a lot about the University. I don't know if you can accept that award. I wouldn't have. At the ceremony, the chairman of the North East Development Commission, Major General Paul Taffer, and Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Liberal Congress, NLC, Alaji Usman, Nojim, Delta State Governor Ifa'i Okowa, former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmood Mohamed, were conferred with honorary doctorate degrees. That's in recognition of their contribution to nation building. NLC News Updates