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UniPort VC Lauds PCRC, NDLEA, Others on Drugs Campaign

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The Vice Chancellor, University of Port Harcourt, Professor Owunari Georgewill, has commended the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Rivers State Command, Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency, and others for the one-day illicit drugs campaign organised in the institution, describing the program as important to create awareness on the dangers of illicit drugs abuse and not for content creation.
Professor Georgewill stated this on Thursday during a drug abuse awareness campaign held in the university, stressing that the university remains a citadel of enlightenment where students are models for both moral and academic excellence.
“Our future cannot be built on abuse of substances. Today, we form a formidable coalition against drug abuse. The War Against Drug Abuse is not seasonal but a continuous campaign. We want to build a Nigeria where youth are not dependent on illicit drugs,” Georgewill said.
The Rivers State Commands of Police Community Relations Committee, PCRC, and National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Police, on Thursday, 30th October, 2025, took the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) to the University of Port Harcourt in furtherance of the campaign for a drug-free society.
In an interview with journalists at the sidelines of the event, Voke Emore, Chairman of PCRC in Rivers State, said, “The PCRC has done this for two years running now, and this is the third year. We did it in Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rivers State University, and our idea is to drive home the message of the War Against Drug Abuse, where our young people, and even some old persons, who abuse drugs, falling victims to drug abuse, should abstain. We have a lot of deaths, and it needs to stop.
“One of the causes of insecurity and the devices the enemy uses against young people is that they carry weapons and commit crimes under the influence of drugs. We want to say no to drug abuse. We have to put our hands on deck to keep speaking against drug abuse.”
Also speaking, Assistant State Commander, Drug Demand Reduction Unit, in NDLEA, Rivers Command, Grace Adeniyi, said, “Drug abuse is a problem that is ravaging everyone, and there are stages where they should be able to say no to drug abuse and yes to life.
“While they watch who they associate with, mingle with, they should not be pressured into taking hard drugs.
“Our university campus is a place where nobody monitors your activities. You come on your own and stay on your own. Whatever anybody tells you is your ability to say no, I will not be involved in it. So many of the students coming in are young minds; they are just 16 and above, and the elders will bully them into accepting the use of hard drugs.
“The programme is very important. Drug abuse is everywhere. If it’s not in your family, it’s in your neighbourhood. A drug-dependent person is a risk to himself and everybody around him.
“Prevention is better than cure. Don’t go into it. You will be able to avoid so much of the crisis because every other vice is committed under the influence of drug abuse.”
In his remarks, the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, represented by the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Choba Police Division, Ahmed Doma, listed increased risk of chronic diseases and permanent damage to brain function, etc., as dangers of drug abuse.
CP Adepoju urged students and everyone to stay away from drug abuse, while reiterating the commitment of the Rivers Police Command to ensuring a drug abuse-free state.
By: Akujobi Amadi
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Education

Rivers NYSC Cordinator task corps members on peace building 

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December 8, 2025

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Corps Members have been urged to use the rich cultural heritage of Nigerians to promote peace in the state and country at large.
The Rivers State Coordinator  of NYSC Mr. Moses Oleghe gave the charge  during the inter-platoon cultural carnival competition for 2025 Batch C Corps Members deployed to the State orientation camp, Nonwa-Gbam Tai held over the weekend.
Oleghe while addressing the Corps Members, further charged them to be a “source of light in their host communities,” noting that the “symbolic lighting of the cultural carnival torch means that every Corps Member must be the light that dispels darkness.”
He urged them to integrate and internalize the culture of the people of their area where they serve, strengthen cultural practices that promote human dignity, rights, and respect.”
The radiant and colorful event witnessed the regeneration and rebirth of various ethnic cultures by the Corps Members.
At the end of the competition, 4 platoon was adjudged the overall best, 9 platoon 2nd and 6 platoon 3rd.
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Education

RSU Best Graduating Student Makes Case for Absorption of Graduates

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December 8, 2025

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Miss Chukwuka Christabel Chidnma, one of the best overall graduating students of Rivers State University (RSU), Nkpolu/Oroworukwu, Port Harcourt, has advocated for the retention of the best graduating students of the institution to fill the gap in teaching staff in the institution.
Chidnma, who was adjudged the overall best graduating student of the class of 2023/2024 academic session in the just-concluded 37th and 38th combined convocation ceremony of the university, had a CGPA of 4.88 from the Department of Theatre and Film Studies in the Faculty of Humanities.
She made the call while delivering her valedictory speech at the awards of the first degree on Saturday, saying the call becomes imperative to ensure that the department and the university at large continue to thrive and maintain academic standards.
She opined that she and her colleagues would be eager to contribute to the workforce of the development and the school in general, in whatever capacity the institution may deem appropriate, to bring their skills, training, and passion to support its continued growth and excellence.
The overall best graduating student decried the enormous challenges lecturers of the department and the university as a whole are facing due to limited manpower and appealed to the university management to also employ professional producers and technical personnel.
She recounted the experiences and challenges she faced during her years of academic studies, noting that resilience, hard work, determination, and being focused were the bedrock of her success.
She dedicated the award to her parents for their untiring efforts in ensuring that her academic fortunes were not cut short.
By: Akujobi Amadi
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Education

Students Free to Choose Any WAEC Subjects  of Their Choices – FG

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December 8, 2025

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The Federal Government has reaffirmed that senior secondary school students whether in arts, commercial or science classes are free to register any approved subject of their choice for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), as confusion over the revised curriculum continues to generate debate across the country.
The clarification came in a press statement issued on Saturday and signed by Boriowo Folashade, Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, following widespread misinformation circulating on social media and within some schools.
According to the ministry, contrary to claims that students must strictly remain within their designated subject tracks, “there is no restriction or exclusion attached to the selection of any approved subject under the Senior Secondary School Curriculum.”
Officials said the curriculum was intentionally designed to be flexible, student-centred and supportive of diverse academic and career interests.
Under the guidance, science students may select subjects traditionally grouped under the arts or social sciences, just as arts and commercial students may choose science-designated subjects provided such choices are supervised by school authorities, parents or certified counsellors.
The ministry also clarified public concerns surrounding the subject formerly known as Information and Communication Technology (ICT), confirming it has been renamed Digital Technology.
The statement emphasised that the change is purely in nomenclature and does not alter the curriculum content or disadvantage students who previously took ICT in school.
Regarding Trade Subjects, the ministry noted that six trades have been approved under the curriculum.
Students may register any of these trades only if the subjects are offered by their schools and they have been taught them. However, the government stressed that students who have never been exposed to any of the six trade subjects are under no obligation to register one as a third subject.
This clarification comes as WAEC registration for the 2026 examination cycle continues nationwide. WAEC recently urged schools to ensure accurate subject entries before the January deadline, warning that mistakes in registration especially in subject combinations have increasingly led to withheld or invalid results in previous years.
The announcement also aligns with ongoing reforms in Nigeria’s education sector. Earlier this year, the ministry began rolling out teacher retraining and digital learning initiatives aimed at boosting performance in core WAEC subjects, following several exam cycles that showed inconsistent pass rates in mathematics and English.
Nigerian universities often require specific subject combinations for competitive courses such as medicine, engineering, law, accounting and mass communication.
The ministry urged the public to rely solely on verified information, noting that misinformation remains a major challenge during examination cycles. It said further updates will be issued as reforms continue across the senior secondary school system
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