Dr Dakuku Peterside, the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has asked the management of Rivers State University RSU not to bungle the ongoing recruitment exercise at the institution.
This follows unsubstantiated claims in some quotas that the institution is only selecting and considering a higher number of candidates from the Ikwerre ethnic block for employment.
Dakuku warned that bungling the process would have a far-reaching effect on education in the state.
Peterside who admonished the university management and the Governing Council to do the right thing said that the institution cannot toy with the future of education in the state, adding that recent news coming out of the university have not been exciting.
He urged the university management not to employ just anybody but Rivers people and qualified Nigerians who possess the right qualification, experience and mentality to deliver.
According to him: “I have been inundated with calls from numerous Rivers people on the ongoing recruitment at the Rivers State University. It is incumbent upon the Governing Council and the management to give every Rivers man and women a fair chance to compete among their peers.
“We have sufficiently qualified Rivers sons and daughters and it is only fair that we give them equal opportunities to compete. The watchword here is to employ only those who have the right qualifications and cognate experience in various fields.
“We must not toy with the image and integrity of the university. As an alumnus of the institution, am concerned with the quality of who we employ and how it will affect generations to come. We must get it right in the short, medium and long terms.
“We knew where the university was before Professor Barineme Fakae stepped in. In a short period, he was able to turnaround the school and it became the envy of many. He left behind indelible marks and the incumbent vice-chancellor can learn one or two things from him. In the end, Rivers people will be better for it,” he stated.
