UNICAL Engineering Graduates Protest Over Delayed Certificates, NYSC Mobilisation
Graduates of the 2024 pioneer set from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Calabar (UNICAL) have raised concerns over the prolonged delay in receiving their certificates, a situation that has also stalled their National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) mobilisation.
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Graduates of the 2024 pioneer set from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Calabar (UNICAL) have raised concerns over the prolonged delay in receiving their certificates, a situation that has also stalled their National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) mobilisation.
The affected graduates, who completed their studies in September 2024 and were convoked in March 2025, say they have yet to receive certificates or statements of results, describing the delay as frustrating and potentially damaging to their career prospects.
The delay comes despite the faculty’s recent accreditation history. In 2023, the Faculty of Engineering faced allegations of non-accreditation, which the then Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Florence Obi, countered, stating that the courses were in their third year and preparing for National Universities Commission (NUC) accreditation. At the 2025 graduation ceremony, the VC confirmed that the faculty had received NUC accreditation in 2024 and approval from the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) in 2025.
Graduates report repeated assurances from university management that documents had been forwarded to the Student Affairs Division to enable both certificate collection and NYSC mobilisation. They explained that certificate issuance is traditionally tied to NYSC mobilisation, with students receiving their certificates shortly before attending the service camp.
One graduate said:
“We finished in September 2024 and had our convocation in March 2025. Since then, we have not received our certificates. In May 2025, we filled out mobilisation forms and were told we had been internally mobilised. By November 2025, our names were still not uploaded to the NYSC Senate list. We were told to join the next batch, but the same assurances were repeated without results.”
The graduates are now calling on UNICAL management to urgently resolve the issue, stressing that further delays could impede career progression and professional opportunities.
The university has yet to issue an official response regarding the graduates’ claims.
