The Rivers State University (RSU) has brought to fruition one of the dreams of its founding fathers, the institution’s Vice Chancellor, Prof Blessing Didia, has stated.
Speaking during the official commissioning of the institution’s Centre of Excellence in Marine and Offshore Engineering at the Amphitheatre, RSU, Port Harcourt, Didia said that the vision of the founding fathers to establish an entrepreneurial university has come to manifest reality, with the new focus of the management in pursuing programmes that emphasise innovation, entrepreneurship, creativity and skills development.
Didia said the investment by Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, operator of the NNPC/Shell/Total, Agip Joint Venture in ensuring that Rivers State University was positioned as a one-stop-shop in developing industry-ready offshore technical personnel in West Africa and beyond was the best decision ever made by any corporate body in the state.
The vice chancellor explained that the idea of establishing a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Marine and Offshore Engineering was conceived following the donation of about 120 specialised Marine and Offshore Engineering books and modern Marine Hydrodynamics Laboratory Equipment by SPDC in 2007.
He stated that the establishment of the CoE in Marine and Offshore Engineering by the oil and gas giant in Nigeria was in fulfilment of a long dream by Rivers people to have a pool of trained manpower that would tackle problems of the state’s peculiar ecology and difficult environment.
According to him, the university has as one of its objectives, “to produce scientific and technical manpower of various levels needed for essential development,” adding that the establishment of the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Marine and Offshore Engineering at the university was well conceived in line with the dreams of the founding fathers.
“The university is the first in Nigeria to offer a degree in Marine Engineering, and to produce the first African Professor of Marine Engineering in the person of Professor Kelvin Datonye Bobmanuel,” Didia explained.
While assuring SPDC that the RSU’s management was fully committed to the proper ultilisation of the centre, Didia promised the provision of conducive environment for the realization of the vision of the project, and advised the Marine Engineering Department to demonstrate competence in the handling of the equipment and other facilities at the centre.
Also speaking, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Executive Secretary, Simbi Keseye Wabote, expressed satisfaction with the equipment provided at the CoE, adding that the centre would boost capacity in the industry, and reduce youth unemployment in the region.
Wabote restated the board’s focus on ensuring oil and gas contracts are given to companies and individuals within the area where hydrocarbons activities are highly concentrated, adding that it also encourages synergy between the industry and the academia for the development of the region’s economy.
He noted that there has been significant improvement in the university since he graduated 28 years ago, while charging the vice chancellor to invite all the alumni to a convention to brainstorm on ways of assisting the institution to grow.