As shooting and killing return to the Rivers State University (RSU), known for decades as University of Science and Technology (UST), which was respected as Nigeria’s premier university of science and technology, Governor Nyesom Wike has shown anger, sacking the vice chancellor and his deputy. This was contained in a statement issued on Saturday, August 3, 2019, by Dagogo Adonye Hart, permanent secretary, Ministry of Education.
It said: “Rivers State Governor and Visitor of the Rivers State University, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has relieved the Vice Chancellor of the Rivers State University, Prof. Blessing Chimezie Didia of his appointment with immediate effect.
“Also relieved of his appointment is the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), Professor Magnus Oruwari. Accordingly, Governor Wike has approved the appointment of Professor Opuenebo B. Owei, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics) as the Acting Vice Chancellor of the Rivers State University.”
The Statement added that Wike has suspended the ongoing employment exercise at the university. Furthermore, a committee has been set up to investigate the employment exercise and report to the Rivers State governor in two weeks.
Recall that Wike had on Friday read the riot act, issuing a query to the vice chancellor following the killings. Simeon Nwakaudu, the special assistant to the Rivers State Governor, Electronic Media, issued the statement.
He stated thus: “Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has formally queried the Vice Chancellor of the Rivers State University, Professor Blessing Didia, over reports of shooting within the school’s campus.
“Governor Wike also queried the Vice Chancellor over recent rampant complaints of ‘sorting’ within the university system. Governor Wike directed the Vice Chancellor of the Rivers State University to respond to the query in writing within 24 hours”.
The reputation of the RSU seemed to crash to the dust over a decade ago until the Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi-administration fished out a UNN-bred veterinary doctor and gifted manager of resources, BB Fakae, to execute a rescue mission.
Fakae rebuilt the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RUST) which was recently renamed Rivers State University (RSU) from the scratch, moving it from a derided university of stress and tension to the best state government-owned university in Nigeria by web-ranking. Its services and records were almost automated and “sorting” died to the barest minimum.
As Fakae’s tenure ended, Wike, who as minister of state for education, worked closely with Fakae to the extent of the UST being the first university to get the N800million special fund, handed the UST to a UNIPORT professor, Blessing Didia. This era was marked with the recall of lecturers sacked by the Amaechi administration for incessant strikes. Some lecturers were openly suspected of creating an era of excessive sorting scandals and cult killings.
The UST (RSU) continued to seek its own success outside the Fakae shadow, but evil seems to return. Few days ago, killing resumes, after few years of seeming breakdown of law and order in the university where students said open robbery and intimidation reigned supreme.
There is huge apprehension in the university as those who have benefited from the Didia administration seem to panic. The deadline has passed and it is not known what was contained in the reply Didia would have sent in, especially over sorting matters.
Wike was proud of the UST when he was minister and hoped to now take it to higher levels, only to hear of full return to the days of the locust; sorting, shooting.
Ignatius Chukwu
