… Call For Support To RSG To Achieve New Rivers Vision
Stakeholders in Rivers State have commended the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike for releasing N16.6 billion for the upgrade of facilities at the Rivers State University in Port Harcourt.
Guests of Viewpoint, a Saturday Rhythm 93.7 FM radio phone in programme in Port Harcourt, made the commendation during the programme on Saturday, (13/2/2021).
Speaking as a guest at the programme, a Professor of econometrics, University of Port Harcourt, Professor Oke Onuchukwu described the development as a timely intervention to expand the tertiary education sector and improve the rural economy of the State.
The renowned economist called the people of the State to jettison political sentiments and support Governor Wike and his team so that the basic objective of transforming the rural communities would be achieved through decentralisation of the Rivers State University.
Professor Onuchukwu, a former director of the Business School of the University of Port Harcourt, said the decentralisation will not only enhance rapid socioeconomic development of the three local Government areas but would also make tertiary education more accessible to the people of the State.
The university don who was part of the the team that drew up the developmental blueprint of the New Rivers Vision of Governor Wike said “The Rivers State University is a very critical area Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike had in mind earlier before he came into Government, that look, ‘I am going to intervene in this University by ensuring that the campuses are decentralised and build a world standard medical college.’ That has been there. Wike didn’t just jump into governance, he had a well prepared blueprint of how he is going to develop the various sectors of the State.”
He described the move to establish a standard medical college at the university as one of the best things that could happen to Rivers State as it would address the dearth of medical doctors in the health sector of the State in the nearest future.
He said there was nothing wrong in the Governor’s award of scholarship to students of the Pamo medical university who are indigenes of the State, saying that it will encourage the graduation of more medical doctors to complement the personnel requirements of hospitals in the State.
He dismissed ethnic colouration in the development agenda of the Governor Wike’s administration, “in the first place, we should commend the effort of the Rivers State Government and try to play down on this ethnic colouration.”
“And one thing I will say here is Government has done this much in this present situation. Some other governments will continue and provide. There is no way Government can address all the issues bothering on development at a time and at a go,” he said.
