RVHA Probes RSUST Operations …Passes Executive Bill On State’s Loans

The Rivers House of Assembly, has ordered a detailed investigation into the problems plaguing the State University of Science and Technology (RSUST).

Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Otelemaba Amachree gave the order at the plenary session of the House

on Wednesday in Port Harcourt following the adoption of a motion on problems plaguing the institution.

The speaker directed the House Committee on Education to investigate the problems hampering the smooth operations of academic activities in the university.

Majority Leader, Chidi Lloyd had moved a motion on the floor of the Assembly on some of the administrative and academic problems militating against the institution’s activities.

Amachree after hearing from his colleagues, thanked them for a fruitful deliberation and referred the issue to the Committee on Education, to thoroughly investigate the problems and come up with recommendations in two weeks.

Earlier, Lloyd had in a motion, decried the alarming rate at which academic and administrative standards had fallen at the university.

Lloyd noted that students in the institution could no longer graduate at the required duration of their various courses due to irregularities in the system. He attributed most of the problems to the authorities of the university.

In his submission, the Vice- Chancellor, Prof. Barinem Fakae who was invited to explain why the university was in such a mess, said on assumption, he inherited a whole lot of evil in the institution.

Fakae stated that when he came on board, he experienced cultism, admission of unqualified candidates and other kinds of corruption.

He said his team came on board as a rescue team to find lasting solutions to the teething problems of the university.

The Vice Chancellor told the lawmakers that right from the time he took over to the present, the university had recorded a tremendous improvement.

Meanwhile, the Rivers House of Assembly on Wednesday passed a bill authorising the state government to raise loans.

The bill presented by the Executive Council seeks to empower government to raise loans through the issuance of bonds, notes and other securities.

Hon. Josiah John, representing Eleme Constituency, said the bill was passed after a public hearing, stressing that some sections of it were amended due to opinions raised by the public.

Speaker Otelemaba Amachree thanked the committee for its steadfastness in the passage of the bill.

He said 23 members voted in favour of the bill before it was passed.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim (left), with Vice President Namadi Sambo during the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja, on Wednesday.