Former Rivers State Governor, Dr Peter Odili, has urged staff of the PAMO University of Medical Sciences, Port Harcourt, not to shy away from reporting any female student who sexually harasses them to enable management to take appropriate action.
Similarly, Odili, who is the proprietor and Pro-Chancellor of the university, urged students not to be afraid to report any staff, should they (students) suffer any form of sexual infringement, saying punishment will be meted out accordingly.
He said this in his remarks during the institution’s 7th Matriculation for the 2023/2024 academic session held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital on Monday.
This is as Odili said the university is poised to produce sought-after professionals in healthcare, even as he informed the newly admitted students that they had just arrived to begin the journey to greatness, saying “Your future is now in your hands.”
He added, “Take pains to study your handbooks, obey the rules. You have had the Vice Chancellor tell you about zero tolerance. So parents don’t come begging when there is an infringement because the consequences are spelt out.
“We are determined to produce professionals in healthcare who people will struggle to go and be treated by. To achieve that, all hands must be on deck. Zero tolerance means zero tolerance.”
Continuing, Odili said, “Students take note, any staff that harasses you in any way, report that staff. Don’t be afraid to report, don’t suffer, and die in silence. Report, and the council will take action.
“And for the staff, you have heard that we (the university) are ranked number one in the country for female enrolment. Any female student that tries in the opposite direction to harass any staff, reports that student and action will be taken.
“While the academic staff and administrative staff are doing their best to give you the best of learning, the council is interested in ensuring that you qualify in character and learning. Character is important because that is the sole determinant of who you will be at the end of your studies.”
Earlier in her address, the acting Vice Chancellor of PAMO University of Medical Sciences, Prof. Christie Mato, said a total of 198 students matriculated, with approximately 76 per cent in the MBBS programme.
Mato commended former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, for providing scholarships for 100 Rivers students admitted into the institution yearly since the university started.
She added, “We also appreciate our present amiable and peace-loving Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, for continuing with that legacy and adding another 50 to it, giving a total of 150 scholarships to Rivers indigenes admitted into PAMO University of Medical Sciences.
“To date, we have a total of 797 students from 100 level to 600 level, in the various programmes of Medicine, Nursing, Radiography, Med Lab Science, Physiotherapy, Anatomy, Pharmacology, Physiology and Biochemistry; all our programmes are accredited, and so far, three sets of students have graduated from this University.”
While describing the school as a mono-discipline University – specializing only in health-related programmes, the VC congratulated the new undergraduates and their parents, saying the institution has zero tolerance for cultism, harassment, bullying, fighting, examination misconduct, and substance abuse, among others.