Gov Wike receives honorary doctorate degree, donates N1bn to RSU

The Rivers State University (RSU) has honoured the Governor of the state, Nyesom Wike, with a Honorary Doctor of Law Degree (Honoris Causa).

Wike has presented the sum of N1bn to the institution.

The Governor revealed that the transformation in the educational development was necessary, and that the tertiary institution needs to also develop its academic standards to equate global standards.

The Governor made this revelation while addressing attendees at the 34th Convocation of the University on Saturday in Port Harcourt, the capital of the state.

He disclosed that his government has uplifted the infrastructure of the tertiary institution and created faculties especially the College of Medical Sciences.

He said his government constituted the Governing Council of the school and implored them to come up with roadmap towards a transformed University system.

He added that that his government also put to rest the lingering industrial action in the school and brought back to the system members of staff who were dismissed by the previous administration, without justification.

“Third, we immediately started tackling the university’s infrastructural challenges, one after the other. We completed, furnished and commissioned the long-abandoned Faculty of Law complex within our first 100 days in office.”

He said: “We also built the Basic Clinical Science and the Department of Clinical Sciences buildings, which were commissioned last week as components of the Medical College. We then transformed the former Braithwaite Memorial Hospital into the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital with the state of the art equipment.”

He added that: “A few weeks ago, we authorised the management to engage 1355 new academic and non-academic staff to resolve the staff shortfalls occasioned by retirements, resignations, and the establishment of new academic departments and centres.”