Biology Department Honours Best Graduating Students, Top Entrepreneur

The Department of Biology, Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education (AIFUE), Owerri, on Monday, 24th August 2026, honored its Best Graduating Students from 2022 to 2026 and named its Best Student Entrepreneur for 2026.The Head of Department, Dr. Kalu Ukpai, said the ceremony was organized to recognize students who distinguished themselves through academic and entrepreneurial excellence.

Six students received the Best Graduating Student Award in Education/Biology. The 2022 prize went to Madueke Chinonso Jennifer; the 2023 winner was Obijiaku Favour Chidimma; while Anueyiagu Joseph Izuchukwu won for 2024. Enyime Chioma Vivian was the 2025 Best Graduating Student, while 2026 produced two winners – Nwokei Precious Chioma and Ejike Priscillia Chiamaka. Nwokei was from the Plant Science group while Ejike came from the Zoology cohort.
The Best Student Entrepreneur Award for 2026 went to Abubakar Aisha Zuma, founder of Aisha Zuma Collection, a modest fashion brand. She emerged winner after several elimination rounds.
The event sponsor, Dr. Osita Ivans Ugwuoti, awarded ₦100,000 to each Best Graduating Student and ₦500,000 to the Best Student Entrepreneur, bringing the total disbursement to ₦1,100,000.
Dr. Ugwuoti also pledged to pay the tuition fees of any of the awardees who proceed to postgraduate studies in any federal university in Nigeria.
While presenting the entrepreneur award, Dr. Sam Efughi, Director of the AIFUE Entrepreneurship Centre, told students that "the world is speedily going entrepreneurial" and urged them to become job creators. "It is no longer a matter of what one studied or the certificate, but what one can create," he said. "Be job providers rather than job seekers after school."
The Best Graduating Student Award is now in its 12th edition. The last ceremony was held in 2021. To cover the gap between 2022 and 2026, the Department honored six students this year, including the duo from 2026. The Department also announced that the Best Student Entrepreneur Award is in its second edition, recalling that the first edition was won in 2022 by Onyedimma Confidence Chioma.