News
120 To Bag First Class At RSU Convocation
The Rivers State University, Nkpolu Oroworukwo Port Harcourt, has announced that a total of 8,920 students from the various faculties and departments of the university will be graduating during the 36th convocation of the institution.
The university also announced that out of the figure, 120 students would bag first class honours.
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Nlerum Sunday Okogbule, disclosed this during a press conference held in the institution in Port Harcourt, recently.
Okogbule,while giving the breakdown, said 6,708 students bagged First Degree; 2,122 students earned higher degrees, 4,017 bagged Class Honours, Lower Division; 757 received Third Class Division, while 58 earned Pass Division.
In the Higher Degree category, 743 bagged Post-Graduate Diplomas; 1,195 received Masters Degrees, while 442 earned Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
He said that that this year’s Convocation ceremony is special because it will be recording two significant events in the historical trajectory of the university.
“First, it will be the last convocation where I will be participating as Vice-Chancellor of the University. This is because my five years tenure as Vice-Chancellor of the University will terminate on 4th March, 2025. Second, it will witness the graduation of the first set of Nursing graduates from the University.
“The Nursing graduates were recently inducted as professional nurses by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria. This is a landmark achievement not only for the University, but also for the Rivers State Government which is massively supporting the Medical College, and the University,” he said.
He added that a convocation lecture would be delivered by the former Vice-Chancellor of Usman Danfodiyo University, Prof. Lawal Suleiman Bilbis on Thursday.
The lecture will be titled “Emerging technologies in reshaping the future of education and the learning environment.”
He added, “Finally, we will also have an exhibition of some of the research findings, designs inventions and innovations by staff of the University.”
According to him, “the purpose of this exercise is to draw the attention of the public to some of our relevant research findings to see how corporate entities and individuals can support us in the task of improving the wellbeing of humankind and to spice the programme.
“There will also be cultural display where our award-winning Theatre Arts group will entertain guests with their intricate dance steps.”
On academic achievements and developments, the vice Chancellor said, “I am happy to inform you that the University has within the last one year continued to creditably acquit itself in the task of producing the required high-level manpower to meet the aspirations of the people of Rivers State, and respond to the peculiar environmental challenges of the Niger Delta region, and Nigeria as a whole.
“Let me also use this opportunity to inform you that the University has witnessed a number of landmark academic achievements in the last one year.
“Topmost among these is the fact that in the last National Universities Commission (NUC) Accreditation exercise for 2023, all the 19 programmes presented by our University for accreditation received Full Accreditation Status from the Commission. No programme was given Interim Accreditation, and none was denied accreditation. This means a 100% performance.
“It may be recalled that in the 2022 Accreditation exercise, we presented twenty-four (24) programmes, and all the 24 programmes received Full Accreditation status. We, therefore, scored 100% in both accreditation exercises consecutively. This is a clear indication that our University is doing very well academically. We are also confident of scoring the same 100% in the three programmes presented for accreditation in the just concluded 2024 exercise.”
The University which started in 1980 with seven (7) Faculties, namely: Faculty of Agriculture, Engineering, Science, Technical and Science Education, Environmental Sciences, Management Sciences and Law now has 15 Faculties.
The new Faculties include, Humanities, Social Sciences, Communication and Media Studies, Entrepreneurial Studies, Basic Medical Sciences, Basic Clinical Sciences and Faculty of Clinical Sciences under the prestigious College of Medical Sciences.
Prof Okogbule said further that the university recently commenced the Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences while approval has also been given to commence Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
He added that the current student population has also increased to over 40,000.
By: Akujobi Amadi
President Bola Tinubu has approved the nomination of four new members to the Governing Council of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement yesterday, said the appointment is to fill existing vacancies and strengthen the board’s capacity.
The statement said the approved nominees are Mr. Olusegun Omosehin of the National Insurance Commission and Engr. Wole Ogunsanya of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria.
Tinubu also endorsed the nomination of Sam Onyechi, who represents the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum and Barrister Owei Oyanbo from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
The President encouraged the new members to leverage their expertise and dedication to enhance local content development within Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
It added, “The nominations arose from the exit of previous institutional representatives from the Governing Council.
“The NCDMB Governing Council, established under Section 69 of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act, 2010, comprises representatives from key institutions.
“These include the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum, and the National Insurance Commission.”
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has announced plans to construct additional hostels, rehabilitate roads, and enhance power supply in the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).
NDDC’s Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, disclosed this during a visit to the commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, yesterday by a delegation from the UNIPORT’s Governing Council.
Ogbuku stated that the NDDC had committed to upgrading facilities at UNIPORT as part of efforts to foster partnership with educational institutions across the Niger Delta.
According to him, the implementation of additional projects at the university forms part of a broader strategy to improve education standards in the region.
“Aside from the construction of new hostel blocks and installation of a 300 KVA solar inverter system, the NDDC will also facilitate more projects in the university.
“The commission will also deploy its engineers to assess the condition of UNIPORT’s roads and hostels for potential rehabilitation,” he said.
Ogbuku noted that upon completion, the projects would add to various initiatives previously undertaken by the commission at the university.
“These and other projects reflect our commitment to actualising President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the Niger Delta region,” he added.
He reaffirmed the NDDC’s dedication to fostering development and strengthening partnerships across the region.
Earlier, Sen. Mao Ohuanbunwa, Chairman of UNIPORT’s Governing Council, who led the delegation commended the current leadership of the NDDC for its achievements in accelerating development in the Niger Delta.
He highlighted the university’s infrastructural challenges, noting that it lacked adequate facilities to accommodate its growing student population, and appealed for the NDDC’s support in addressing the shortfall.
“Currently, UNIPORT has a total student population of about 50,000, while its hostel accommodation capacity can only cater for 5,000 students.
“We therefore urge the NDDC to assist in the construction of additional hostels, improve transportation facilities, and facilitate the acquisition of gas turbines to enhance power supply for our students,” Ohuanbunwa pleaded.
The Vice Chancellor of UNIPORT, Prof. Owunari Georgewill, commended NDDC for its impactful projects across the Niger Delta and extended an invitation to the commission to participate in the institution’s forthcoming 50th anniversary celebrations.
The Senate has rejected a motion to rename the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters after the former chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission, late Prof Humphrey Nwosu.
Nwosu presided over the June 12, 1993, presidential election, which was truncated by the former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd).
The election which was won by the late business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola, was adjudged to be the freest and fairest in the electoral history of Nigeria.
The motion to rename INEC after Nwosu was re-sponsored by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe yesterday after lawmakers threw it out last Wednesday.
Abaribe called for posthumous national honours to be conferred on Nwosu in recognition of his role in Nigeria’s democratic evolution.
However, the proposal sparked a heated debate once again, with lawmakers deeply divided over Nwosu’s legacy.
Senator Osita Ngwu acknowledged that Nwosu operated under a military regime, which restricted his ability to announce the results.
He argued that “there was no way he would have announced the results with a gun to his head. That doesn’t change the fact that some of us see him as a hero.”
Senator Austin Akobundu, however, described it as most uncharitable for lawmakers to dismiss Nwosu’s contributions, insisting that he deserved a place in Nigeria’s hall of honour.
On the other hand, several senators like Senator Jimoh Ibrahim dismissed the idea outright, questioning why the Senate should honour someone who failed to announce the results insisting that “nothing should be named after him”.
Senator Cyril Fasuyi argued that history does not reward efforts, but only results.
“As long as he did not announce the result, whether under duress or not, I am against naming INEC headquarters after him,” he submitted.
Also, Senator Sunday Karimi criticised Nwosu for lacking the courage to speak out, while Senator Afolabi Salisu warned that immortalising him would undermine the memory of MKO Abiola, the widely accepted winner of the June 12, 1993, annulled election.
“Any attempt to do anything beyond a one-minute silence is to rubbish Abiola’s legacy,” he tendered.
After intense deliberation, most senators rejected the motion through a voice vote.
They, however, agreed to honour him with a one-minute silence and extend condolences to his family, effectively dismissing the other prayers to immortalise Nwosu.