Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has prepared a bond every medical student on the sponsorship of the state government must sign.
The bond requires each person to work for the state for a number of years yet to be declared after graduation.
The governor even mentioned the female ones who can easily marry out. He advised them to tell such future husbands to come and live with them in Rivers State until they would be out of the bond.
Wike emphasised that the policy will enable the Rivers State government reap the benefit of investing huge resources in the training of medical students of the State extraction.
Wike stated this at the inauguration of a 500-bed capacity hostel for medical students of Rivers State University (RSU). The project is situated within the premises of the faculties of Basic Clinical Sciences and Clinical Sciences of RSU in Port Harcourt.
The Rivers State governor told the students that a new policy was being evolved concerning the scholarship offered medical students by the State government. “We don’t want to train these children and they run away. They must serve the state first.”
Wike said it would be unfair to spend such huge sum of money on training medical students and lose them almost immediately on graduation to other states or countries.
Governor Wike also assured that the outstanding scholarship expenses will be paid to the institution before he leaves office.
Meanwhile, the Rivers State University medical college is about to be the college with the highest number of medical students admitted in one academic year.
This is as the Rivers State University (RSU) is to admit the highest number of medical students allowed to any university per year from next academic year, moving from 100 to 200.
This has been made possible due to infrastructure upgrade in the RSU, most recent of which is a 500-bed hostel.
The governor commissioned the hostel Monday, May 22, 2023.
Providing the description of the project, Rivers State Commissioner for Special Projects, Deinma Iyalla, said it was flagged off on 8th December, 2022 and completed in six months.
According to him, two blocks of three storey buildings were remodeled while one three storey building was freshly built with 500-bed capacity.
In his address, Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Chinedum Mmom, recalled that it was when the Basic Clinical Sciences and Clinical Sciences Faculties were inaugurated that the promise to build the 500-bed hostel was made which has now been fulfilled, graciously.
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On his part, Vice Chancellor of Rivers State University, Prof. Nlerum Okogbule, explained that the hostel has the signature of Governor Wike as a quality project, enhancing the physical infrastructure index, and staff capacity. He said it has further boosted the ranking of the institution as a world-class university.
Giving his goodwill message, Rivers State Chairman of Nigeria Medical Association, Ebi Robinson, noted that the hostel will improve the welfare and physical wellbeing of medical students, make movement to classes safer for them with the multiplier effect on students academic performance.
The governor later proceeded to the main campus of the Rivers State University to inaugurate the newly constructed senior staff quarters.
As a mark of appreciation to his enormous contribution to the development of the University, Justice Iche Ndu (rtd) announced that the management of the institution has named the Senate Building after Nyesom Wike.
The governor declared that nobody can fault his administration that it has failed on promises made because they have all been fulfilled.
Wike said he is happy to have accomplished the feat because the Rivers State University and their medical students now have the best of hostel facilities that will contribute to academic excellence.
