RVHA Approves Renaming Of RSUST …Okays State Varsity Teaching Hospital

Rivers State House of Assembly has approved the renaming of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) to Rivers State University (RSU).
At last Monday’s plenary session, the House also approved the establishment of the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH).
The Assembly’s approvals followed the recommendations and adoptions of the House Committee on Education and Health over RSUST and the State University Teaching Hospital.
The House Committee on Education led by Hon Farah Dagogo had explained that the move to change the name of the university was necessitated by the need  to allow the institution widen its facilities, schools, departments, and other teaching and research units within the university.
Dagogo also noted that the renaming of the university would provide the school more courses of learning and other facilities like medicine to enable the new university properly position itself towards adding values to the planned University Teaching Hospital in the state.
According to Dagogo, the renaming of the university would allow easier amendment of some sections in the former Rivers State University of Science and Technology Law, Cap 133, Laws of Rivers State of Nigeria, 1999 and other matters relating thereto.
The move to rename the RSUST to RSU and the establishment of Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH) are however executive bills designed to give a new meaning and impetus to the desire of the Wike administration to reposition the state for greatness.
After the debate on the bills that lasted for two hours, the House was divided. Fourteen out of 18 members present, voted in support of the renaming of the university, while 12 voted in support of the establishment of the university teaching hospital in the state.
Announcing the approvals, the Speaker of the House, Rt Hon Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani said the renaming of the university and the establishment of a university teaching hospital would go a long way in establishing appropriate relationship with other national and international higher institutions involved in training, research and development of technologies as well as other related activities.
The Speaker expressed happiness that the teaching hospital would provide a veritable ground for research, training and medical centre for training of medical students at the state university in addition to providing centre for people to access health facilities in the state.

Enoch Epelle/Susan Serekara-Nwikhana