The Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Peters Nwagor, has called on the management of Rivers State University (RSU) to ensure that government investments in the institution produce tangible benefits for the people.
Nwagor made the call on Tuesday during an official visit to the university in Port Harcourt, where he met with the management, principal officers and other stakeholders. He was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Mina Tele Ikuru, and other officials.
The Commissioner said government funding of public institutions must be matched with efficiency, accountability and measurable achievements.
He urged the university to focus more on research, innovation and the commercialisation of academic discoveries, stressing the need to attract more local and international research grants and establish innovation hubs.
Nwagor said research should not end in academic publications but should be used to develop practical solutions to challenges facing society and contribute to economic growth.
He reaffirmed the Rivers State Government’s commitment to using education as a tool for human capital development and sustainable economic growth, while assuring the university of continued policy support and oversight.
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Responding, the Vice-Chancellor of RSU, Professor Isaac Zeb-Obipi, acknowledged the support the institution had received from the state government.
He disclosed that the government provided ₦700 million last year to support the accreditation of academic programmes, while another ₦50 million was approved for a film festival organised by the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies.
Zeb-Obipi also said the government had approved a 25 percent increase above the applicable minimum wage rate for staff of the university.
However, he appealed to the state government to approve the recruitment of additional academic and non-academic staff to address existing manpower shortages.
The Vice-Chancellor further requested funds for the accreditation of 15 academic programmes by the National Universities Commission, warning that failure to secure accreditation could affect the university’s admission plans for the programmes in the current academic session.
He thanked the Commissioner and his team for the visit, describing it as a demonstration of the Ministry’s commitment to improving tertiary education in the state.
