Niger Delta
Bayelsa Medical University Holds Maiden Matriculation
The Bayelsa Medical University, BMU, yesterday held her maiden matriculation ceremony for 208 pioneer students of the institution at the university campus in Yenagoa, the state capital.
Speaking at the ceremony, the founder of the BMU, Governor Seriake Dickson, who tasked the incoming administration to support the institution, described the institution as “a fulfilment of a vision and a long term strategic interest and future of the state.”
According to Governor Dickson, he mooted the idea to maximise the 500-bed hospital which was conceived by the late Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha’s administration to a medical institution when he visited the premises to commission some projects, adding that he is convinced that he took the right decision for the state.
His words:” The idea of this university is to maximise the investments of the state. It is to serve two key purposes; to serve as a functional teaching hospital, and to use it to achieve the training of medical personnel that the state desperately needs.
“I want to call on the incoming government to support this great vision, it is not about one person or party interest, but about a long term strategic interest and future of our people. We want to take over the world in the areas of medical knowledge and research. We want to produce the highest number of medical doctors, pharmacists, and medical personnel in this country.”
In his speech, the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the BMU, Professor Ebitimitula Etebu, commended Governor Dickson for his vision and foresight in establishing the Bayelsa Medical University in August 2018 to address the dearth of critical human capital in the health sector of the state through the provision of high-quality medical education of international standards.
While admonishing the students to shun all forms of examination malpractices and social vices as they pursue their future careers, Etebu said that the 208 pioneer matriculating students were distributed into nine academic programmes, Bio-Chemistry, Human Anatomy, Human Physiology, Biology, Micro-Biology, Physics, and Electronics.