The Rivers State Governor and Visitor to the Rivers State University (RSU), Nkpolu-Oruworukwo, Port Harcourt, Chief Nyesom Wike has terminated the appointment of Prof Blessing Chimezie Didia as the Vice Chancellor of the state university with immediate effect.
A press statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Education, Mr Dagogo Adonye Hart also said that the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), Prof Magnus Oruwari has also been relieved of his appointment.
According to the statement, the governor has consequently approved, with immediate effect, the appointment of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics), Prof Opuenebo B. Owei, as the acting vice chancellor of the university.
The statement, however, added that the governor also suspended the ongoing employment exercise at the university, adding that a committee has been set up to investigate the employment exercise, with a two-week order to report their findings to the Rivers State Government.
Similarly, the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has relieved the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport, Mr Samuel Eguma, of his appointment with immediate effect.
A statement signed by the Special Assistant to the Rivers State Governor on Electronic Media, Simeon Nwakaudu, quoted the governor as saying that the action was to serve as deterrent to other government officials who spend funds without approval.
However, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state has condemned the dastardly killing of two undergraduate students of the state university by gunmen on campus, last week.
Speaking with newsmen in an interview, last Saturday, the state PDP Spokesman, Darlington Orji, described the killings as unfortunate and saddening.
Orji said it was sad that the killings were occurring few days after the governor launched new security architecture tagged ‘Operation Sting’ in the state, and urged the security agencies to step up their game, and apprehend those behind the unfortunate incidents.
However, some residents in Port Harcourt, who spoke with The Tide on the matter, Sunday described the governor’s action as a positive step aimed at to protecting lives and bring sanity the institution.
In his reaction, Mr Emeka Samuel, said that the governor’s action was the demonstration of a responsible leader who has the interest of the people at heart.
He averred that the removal of the two principal officers of the institution would promote confidence among the students, adding that the two officers failed to take issues of security in the institution seriously.
Also speaking, a student of the institution who gave his name as Izukanma Elekachi, lauded the governor for the prompt action to save the university from being taken over by cult groups.
He opined that such ugly incident, which claimed the lives of two students of the institution, could have been averted, if proactive measures were taken by the school authority, adding that the university had come under severe attacks in recent time without the management finding any solution on how to address the matter.
“Severally, students have come under attack, every day; people are robbed of their valuables and money. The governor has done well, and needs to be commended.
On her part, a school teacher, Mrs Agnes Wakanma, said there was nothing wrong with the governor’s action, adding that it was normal in governance.
She hoped that the appointment of a new helmsman at the university by the governor would put an end to the cult clashes in the university.
Our correspondent reports that the sack of the vice chancellor and his deputy in charge of administration by the governor, last Saturday, may not be unconnected with the recent cult war that claimed two students of the university as well as the manner in which the recent staff recruitment exercise approved for the institution was handled under the watch of the two principal officers.
The Tide also learnt that the recruitment exercise authorised by the state government had witnessed protests by some applicants, who expressed displeasure at the way and manner the university authorities were handling the process.
It would be recalled that the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, had last Tuesday, formally queried the Vice Chancellor of the Rivers State University, Prof Blessing Didia over reports of shooting within the school’s campus.
Wike also queried the vice chancellor over recent rampant complaints of ‘sorting’ within the university system.
A statement by the Special Assistant to the Rivers State Governor on Electronic Media, Simeon Nwakaudu, yesterday, quoted the governor as directing the vice chancellor of the Rivers State University to respond to the query in writing within 24 hours.
Earlier last Monday, communities around the state university campus in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area had been thrown into anxiety and palpable fears, following the killing of a final year student of the institution who was shot dead in front of the female hostel by unknown gunmen.
The victim, who was identified as Prince Tuaka, a final year student of the Faculty of Agriculture was reportedly shot in the head by unidentified cultists at the front of NDDC Female Hostel opposite the popular Love Garden in the university.
An eyewitness account has it that the gunmen, numbering over 10 and dressed in black attires, had positioned themselves within the routes to the NDDC Female Hostel and park in the school campus, unknown to the victim that his assailants were trailing him from the lecture hall where he was coming from.
The source further said that the hoodlums, on sighting their victim, opened fire on him, adding that the bullet hit him on the head, and he fell down.
He was rushed to the university hospital but later moved to Rivers State University Teaching Hospital where he was confirmed dead.
According to the source, the hoodlums shot sporadically for over an hour without any challenge from both police and the school security men in the campus, adding that students and lecturers within the vicinity of the incident scampered for safety and took to their heels to avoid being hit by stray bullets.
The students called on the university authority to address the deteriorating security situation in the school.
Our correspondent further reports that cultism, insecurity and other anti-social activities have become a recurring decimal in the university campus in recent times, and a major challenge confronting the university management led by Prof Blessing Chimezie Didia.
Speaking to journalists at the school campus on the incident, President of Students’ Union Government (SUG) in the university, Comrade Elvis Osima Gogo, described the incident as very unfortunate, and urged students to go about their normal academic activities as the students’ leadership was on top of the situation.
Later last week, another student was also shot and killed by gunmen within the same university campus, thereby increasing the tension amongst students and staff of the institution.
The killing of the female student brought to two the number of students killed within one week in the university, which had before now, been peaceful and violence-free.