News
PAMO Varsity Commissions Nyesom Wike Academic Building
In recognition of the outstanding contributions of the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike to the rapid development of PAMO University of Medical Sciences (PUMS), the institution, yesterday, commissioned the Nyesom Wike Academic Building.
The commissioning, which was performed by the Sokoto State Governor, Hon Aminu Tambuwal, was witnessed by the former Head of State, Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), Adamawa State Governor, Umaru Fintiri, Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, Founder of PUMS and former Rivers State Governor, Dr Peter Odili, the First Lady of Niger State, Hajia Amina Bello, officials of National Universities Commission (NUC) and Minister of Labour, Dr Chris Ngige.
Commissioning the building, Sokoto State Governor, Hon Aminu Tambuwal, commended the Rivers State governor for his commitment to the infrastructural development of the state.
He lauded the Rivers State governor for his investment and support to the PAMO University of Medical Sciences, which will help in the grooming of quality medical professionals.
Tambuwal said: “We thank the Rivers State governor for his support to this very important university founded by Dr Peter Odili. This support is clear and we are happy with it.
The Sokoto State governor prayed God to grant Wike the wisdom to continue to administer a complex state like Rivers.
In his remarks, the former Rivers State governor and Founder of PUMS, Dr Peter Odili, described the occasion as historic, adding that the event marks the opening of PUMS’s Administrative Block.
Odili urged all stakeholders to thank the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike for his determined and consistent contributions to the growth of the school.
The former governor said: “Due to the support of the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, the school has been able to surmount the challenges of development, leading to the Nyesom Wike Academic Building”.
Odili explained that the Nyesom Wike Academic Building has four lecture halls, 36 offices for relevant staff and four ultra-modern laboratories for courses for the third year students of the institution and clinical courses.
He said with his interaction with other key stakeholders of the university education, the contributions of the governor remains unprecedented.
The founder of PUMS, thereafter, led other stakeholders on a tour of the Nyesom Wike Academic Building.
Similarly, the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has declared that his administration will continue to support private initiatives to create access to university education in the state.
Speaking during the first Founders’ Day ceremony of PAMO University of Medical Sciences, yesterday, at Elelenwo, Wike noted that investments in university education by private individuals will always enjoy the support of the Rivers State Government.
Wike also pledged the sum of N500million for the construction of two hostels in the pioneer institution.
He said: “The university requires the support of every person. I have challenged every Rivers man and woman who has the capacity to establish a university to do so, Rivers State Government, will support such a person.
“This is the first private university in Rivers State. If government does not support it, who will support? I owe no apologies to those who criticise our support for this private university.”
He lauded PAMO University of Medical Sciences for creating opportunities for Rivers children and other Nigerians to have access to medical education.
“We have given our children scholarships for every academic session. Not less than 100 of them. They are Rivers children. Giving support means that you want the good of the people of Rivers State.
“If this university was not established, those of them who are lucky to study medicine and other related courses would have found it difficult. It is good that this University has been able to create access for our children to study medicine.
“For us as a government, we will not look back. We will continue to support this university,” he said.
He announced that the Rivers State Government will support the construction of two hostels in the institution.
Also speaking, the former Head of State, Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd) called on Nigerians to collaborate with the security agencies to fight the rising trend of insecurity in the country.
Abubakar, who is also the chairman, Governing Board and Chancellor of PAMO University of Medical Sciences, Port Harcourt, said that Nigerians must give useful information to the security agencies in their current effort to fight insecurity in the country.
The chancellor said the university has, within a few years of its establishment, maintained its promise of becoming a foremost medical university in the country through the provision of excellent state-of-the-art facilities.
The former Head of State said that with the much expected second round of accreditation by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), the institution would become one of the foremost in the world.
He commended Governor Nyesom Wike for his numerous support to the university, especially the approval for the use of the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital by undergraduates of PAMO pending the establishment of the university’s teaching hospital.
The Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed lauded Governor Wike for his commitment to the overall infrastructural development of Rivers State.
Mohammed, who spoke on behalf of his counterparts in Adamawa, Oyo, and Sokoto, praised former Rivers State Governor, Dr Peter Odili for his investment in education, especially setting up a university that will groom qualified medical professionals for the country.
The Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige, instituted “The Chris Ngige Prize in Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology” for the best graduating students of the university, and described the founder, Dr. Peter Odili, as a man with passion for humanity.
Adding that Odili does not believe in failures, Ngige urged the students to follow in the footstep of their founder.
He said the best student in the mentioned area will be rewarded handsomely, and urged students of the university to emulate, Dr Peter Odili, who has been hardworking and committed to serving humanity.
The Pro-Chancellor of Pamo University of Medical Sciences and Former Rivers State Governor, Dr Peter Odili thanked Governor Wike for the pomp and ceremony he adds to all events of the institution.
He informed that all the students sponsored by the Rivers State Government at the university, are up to date in their payment of fees.
He said that establishing a private university is a service to the society, because profits start after more than 10 years.
Odili said that the university would churn out its first graduates next year, and also credited the founding of the institution to the Almighty God.
He commended the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, for appreciating the enormity of the challenge in the running the institution, stressing that through the efforts of the governor, no less than 300 Rivers families have students in the university, and expressed the need for more contributions towards the university’s endowment fund.
In his remarks, Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof Abubakar Rasheed said that the NUC was proud to be associated with PAMO University of Medical Sciences for their achievements within the short period the school existed.
He urged the university authority to ensure that they continue to comply with relevant regulatory requirements, in order for the school to grow.
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof M.F.E. Diejomaoh praised the foresight of Odili for ensuring that PAMO University of Medical Sciences became a reality.
He said that the vision of the university is to be one of the best medical training institutions in the country.
The event attracted Sokoto State Governor, Hon Aminu Tambuwal, Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, Oyo State Governor, Engr Seyi Makinde, Adamawa State Governor, Umaru Fintiri, National and State Assembly members.
Spokesman to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Segun Sowunmi, has advised his principal, Atiku, to learn from President Bola Tinubu on how to form a coalition.
The Tide reports that in a bid to wrest power from President Tinubu in 2027, Atiku has been leading the movement by opposition politicians to form a coalition of political parties ahead of the next general election.
Last month, opposition politicians set up a team comprising former Minister of Transpiration, Rotimi Amaechi, and former Governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke, to decide whether to float a new party or fuse into an existing platform.
While the main opposition party, PDP, struggles with a perennial leadership crisis, the former Vice President is bent on establishing another political force to take power from the ruling party in 2027.
But Sowunmi, who has been Atiku’s ally for many years, disagrees with his move, saying instead of forming a coalition with another political platform, he should coalesce opposition politicians into the PDP.
Speaking during an interview on TVC on Tuesday, Sowunmi, who was Atiku’s campaign spokesperson in the last election, asked his principal to learn from President Tinubu on how to form a coalition.
Sowunmi believes Atiku, having benefitted from the PDP as a former Vice President and getting the party’s presidential ticket twice, should not seek to form a coalition that will not have the PDP as its base.
He said, “I’ve always said to people, people love with their hearts. I love atiku with my bones. But I can’t help him against himself. You can’t run vice presidency on PDP two times with Obasanjo, get presidential candidate on that same party two times. I don’t agree with him that the next best thing is to be shopping for…(a platform) If you want a coalition, why are you not coalescing them into your party?” he asked.
The former PDP governorship candidate in Ogun State advised the ex-VP to learn from Tinubu on how to build a coalition without dumping his political party.
“Look at your rival, your friend. You guys started together. At best, even if you want to say he’s building a coalition is he not coalescing opponents into his place”? Sowunmi asked again.
The PDP chieftain, who recently showered praises on Tinubu after he visited him, said the President has an “uncanny ability to make everybody individually feel special” regardless of political affiliations.
His words: “That guy (Tinubu) is something oh, he has this uncanny ability to make everybody individually feel special. It doesn’t matter whether you are a former foe or a president’s friend, every moment you share with him, I don’t know how he does it, though you’re going to leave the place feeling that you matter, feeling that he gets it, feeling that what you guys are talking about is important. And there’s something about him, when he gives you his word, he will say something like ‘ko le ye’, meaning that to the best of human ability, it will stand.”
Meanwhile, there have been conversations about Sowunmi’s political stance as many questioned his relationship with Atiku, with whom he shares a longstanding political relationship.
Asked about his relationship with Atiku following his meeting with Tinubu, Sowunmi said he doesn’t know if the former Vice President is upset.
“I don’t know whether Atiku is upset or not upset, but I know a lot of our followers are talking a lot of nonsense, and I’m wondering how I became attached to Atiku when I’ve been in PDP since 1999 never leaving,” he responded.
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has introduced a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to fix inconsistencies in tax services across its over 300 offices nationwide.
The move aims to make tax processes clearer, more transparent, and easier for Nigerians.
In a statement, Special Adviser on Communications and Advocacy to the FIRS Executive Chairman, Mr. Collins Omokaro, said the updated SOP is a key part of the agency’s plan to improve taxpayer experience.
He explained that, in the past, different FIRS offices used different methods, which often confused taxpayers.
“This is about people, experience, and impact. It’s a step towards a tax system that supports voluntary compliance and national development,” Omokaro said.
The new SOP provides a single guide for key processes like registration, payment, audit, and enforcement. This will ensure all FIRS offices follow the same steps, making the system fairer and more predictable.
FIRS Executive Chairman, Dr. Zacch Adedeji, described the SOP as more than just a set of rules.
“This SOP is not just a technical document; it is a declaration of who we are becoming as a service. It reflects our commitment to transparency and service to the Nigerian people,” he said.
The SOP also supports FIRS’s digital transformation, combining human and technological systems to deliver faster and more reliable services. It will also improve internal efficiency by providing clear guidance and better training for staff.
“With this rollout, every FIRS staff member has a clear mandate: study it, apply it, and embody it. That’s how we’ll earn the trust of Nigerians,” Omokaro added.
The reform is part of FIRS’s efforts to become a more service-driven organisation, focused on clarity, consistency, and national growth. The agency hopes the new SOP will make tax services better for Nigerians and increase public trust in the system.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, says the Federal Government is committed to building a world-class public service in Nigeria.
Walson-Jack made this known in Abuja, on Wednesday, at a World Press Conference ahead of the International Civil Service Conference and the African Public Service Week scheduled for June 25 to 26 in Abuja.
She said a recent study tour to Singapore was part of preparatory activities aimed at positioning Nigeria’s civil service for excellence and attracting global participation in the upcoming events.
“The study tour to Singapore was the first major activity we undertook under the collaboration between the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation and the Heads of Service of the 36 states and the FCT,” she said.
According to her, the visit, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), involved 20 State Heads of Service and was designed to benchmark best global practices and enhance Nigeria’s public service delivery.
“The idea was born out of our ongoing collaboration, where we share ideas and knowledge across federal and state levels.
“Singapore was chosen because it is globally recognised for excellence in public service,” she explained.
Walson-Jack noted that the second phase of the tour will involve the remaining 17 heads of service later this year.
She said the tour provided participants with the opportunity to engage with both public and private sector institutions in Singapore, compare administrative practices, and gain insights into global standards.
“It was an eye-opener and a capacity-building opportunity.
“Since our return, several state civil services have begun implementing reforms in collaboration with the federal service, particularly in areas such as capability development and digital transformation,” she added.
Walson-Jack further disclosed that Nigeria would host a reciprocal study tour during the upcoming African Public Service Week, where foreign delegates will engage with various federal institutions.
“They will see firsthand our digitalisation efforts, performance management systems, and other reform initiatives aimed at transforming our civil service.
“We hope the experience will inspire similar actions in their home countries,” she said.