Amaechi Names New Hospital After Nimi Briggs

As a way of acknowledging his contributions to the development of Rivers State, Governor Chibuike Amaechi has named the new 100-bed model hospital on the campus of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) after Prof Nimi Briggs.
The governor made the announcement at the weekend during the 70th birthday celebrations of Prof. Briggs held at the University of Port Harcourt.
Amaechi said the gesture was aimed at immortalizing Briggs’ contribution to the development of the state.
According to him, “I want to thank him first and thank all of you that have supported me. I want to say to Prof Nimi Briggs that we will try and immortalize your name. There is a hospital of 100 beds that will be ready for commissioning by the end of March, and that hospital is located in the Rivers State University of Science and Technology. We want to name that hospital ‘Prof Nimi Briggs Hospital’.”
He held that the professor of medicine was among those who had contributed in stabilizing the state during the crisis in 2007, saying he found support and collaboration in Briggs among other prominent personalities.
“When we came in, there was division in the state. It was PDP. PDP was in charge, there was no opposition party then. There were those who were supporting Austin Opara, those who supported Celestine Omehia and those who were supporting our former boss, Dr. Peter Odili, and I knew that if we needed to conduct a credible election, we needed to put somebody who is credible.
“If I go and put somebody who is my political ally, then nobody would participate in that election. So, I called Prof Nimi Briggs, and he accepted that challenge after so much pressure,” Amaechi stated.
He added that while Briggs was heading RSIEC, he also accepted to chair the State Economic Advisory Council.
“So, I want to use this opportunity to thank Prof Briggs because we are beginning to wind down, he did all he could to stabilize government, he did everything he needed to do to support government,” he said.
Amaechi also commended him for his performance as vice chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, stating that Briggs was knowledgeable, independent and development-oriented.
In his remarks, Prof Briggs thanked the governor for attending the programme to honour him, while lauding him for his contributions and successes as governor of the state.
Chairman of the occasion, Prof TekenaTamuno had earlier described the former RSIEC boss as an accomplished gentleman and scholar.
“Prof Nimi Briggs is a man of many parts, an accomplished gentleman, and quintessential scholar. His latest work, “Nimi Briggs At 70: Selected Writings And Addresses, 2006-2013,” is Encyclopaedic in nature,” Prof Tamuno remarked.