Education
Police Take Anti-Cultism Campaign To Rivers Schools
The Inspector General of police, Mohammed Adamu has taken the campaign against cultism and other social vices to primary and secondary schools In Rivers State as part of efforts to curbing insecurity and other criminal activities in the society.
The Commander of Anti-Cultism Unit in Elele, Ikwerre Local Government Area, CSP Yusuf Idi, who delivered the message of the IGP at the launch of the campaign at the Model Primary School, Igwuruta, over the weekend, said the essence of the campaign was to catch the young ones in both primary and secondary schools early and prevent them from being entangled in cultism practice.
Idi said the recent campaign became necessary following latest investigation which revealed that sixty to seventy percent of those involved in cultism had their initiation while in primary schools.
Idi while highlighting the dangers of cultism and other social vices, encouraged the school children not to give ears to anyone who may want to lure them into belonging to cult groups and urged them to report such individuals to their parents, teachers and police officers.
“This campaign against cultism which is aimed at catching them young is an initiative of the Inspector General of Police. It has a enough packaged in it. The aim is to end insecurity, because we realized that those that causes all forms of insecurity are cultists which investigation had revealed that most of them were initated from primary and secondary schools.
“If you do not want to die young, you must reject anyone one that will want to lure you into cultism, because if you do,the police and other security operatives will come after you and in course of exchange of fire, you may die or you will remain in prison. You must reports to your parents, teachers or nearest police, anyone with character such as indecent dressing, smoking hard drug, stubborn etc which are their signs, he stated
Some traditional rulers who were present at the event including the Chairman of Igwuruta Council of Traditional rulers, Chief Ernest Wosu and Chief Anthony Nyenche commended the Nigerian police for the sensitisation and urged the pupils to take seriously the campaign to become good and better citizens of the society.
“The Nigerian police have really shown us that they are for us, we thank them for coming to teach us and our children. Our children please, you must hear what the police has told us today, if you don’t hear, you will regret it tomorrow. If we did not do well, we will not be invited to come here today, that will show you that to live a good life is good,” he stated
On his path, the Supervisory Director of Universal Basic Education in Ikwerre Local Government, Area, Adolphus Umesi who spoke on behalf of the schools also commended the organisers of the programme and promised to ensure that the campaign gets to all the schools in the state.
He encouraged the school children to disassociate themselves from cultists and live a life that would make the society a better place to be.
The Acting Vice Chancellor of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, Prof. Okechuku Onuchuku, emphasised the need for students to go beyond academic achievements during the university’s 43rd Convocation ceremony.
The theme, “The University Culture In Practice, The IAUE Experience,” highlights the importance of embracing cherished traditions and intellectual values that define great universities.
Prof. Onuchuku encouraged the new graduates to work hard and persevere, noting that their convocation marks a new beginning in their careers and personal lives. He emphasised that they must prove themselves worthy of the certificates and prizes they have received.
According to him, out of 2,887 first-degree graduands, four made First Class, 403 secured Second Class Upper, 2,030 got Second Class Lower, and 450 graduated with Third Class. Additionally, 1,492 postgraduate students graduated, including 306 PhD holders.
The Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (Rtd), praised the university’s commitment to academic excellence and institutional maturity. He commended the Acting Vice Chancellor for achieving full accreditation for 47 academic programmes and implementing the NUC’s Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards.
The administrator urged the new graduates to uphold the positive values instilled in them by the university and strive for continuous knowledge and improvement.
By: King Onunwor
The Niger Delta Students Union Government, Rivers State Chapter (NIDSUG), has suspended its planned protest against the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) state office in Port Harcourt. The suspension followed an intervention by the state Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju.
The students had planned to protest on Thursday, citing alleged neglect by the NDDC, particularly in welfare and capacity-building programmes for students from the state. However, after the police intervention, the students agreed to participate in a roundtable discussion with the commission to address their concerns.
NIDSUG leader, Comrade Loveday Njoku, expressed dissatisfaction with the commission’s alleged exclusion of students from benefiting from its programmes. He presented a seven-point demand, including the reintroduction of scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Njoku emphasised that education is crucial for community development and urged the commission to invest in the future leaders of the state.
The students warned that if their demands are not met, they will resume the protest and occupy the state commission office until their demands are addressed. Despite previous attempts to reach out to the commission’s management team, the students claimed their efforts were unsuccessful.
By: Akujobi Amadi
As part of efforts to improve the welfare and overall quality of education for students in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, the Sole Administrator, Sir (Dr.) Clifford Ndu Walter DSSRS, FCAI, JP, paid an unscheduled visit to Universal Primary School, Rumukwurusi.
During the visit, Sir Walter expressed deep concern over the deplorable state of the school and its surrounding environment. He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to the development of the education sector, stressing its critical role in nation-building.
“I have visited the primary school in Ogbogoro, and now I’m here at the Universal Primary School, Rumukwurusi. I am not satisfied with what I’ve seen,” he stated, indicating that more surprise visits to schools would follow.
To address the issues, the Sole Administrator directed the Council Engineer to commence process for rehabilitation of the school.
The visit was part of a broader initiative aimed at conducting on-the-spot assessments of educational facilities to determine the level of intervention required by the local government council.
Dr. Walter also assured the teachers of his unwavering commitment to revamp the school and improve the learning environment for both staff and students.