A university teacher and Dean, Faculty of Sciences  at the Rivers State University  (RSU), Prof. Valentine Omubo-Pepple has called on  students in institutions of higher learning across the globe to pursue their academic success with hardwork, diligence, perseverance and result-oriented.
Omubo-Pepple who gave the advice in Opobo Town over the weekend in an interview with The Tide on the bleak future of Nigerian students and other issues, maintained that academic is not a day’s journey, “it is something you apply wisdom, vigour and consistency before achieving success at the end of the tunnel”.
He advised the students and teachers to be objective in their assigned responsibilities of learning and teaching for positive results at the end.
He stressed that, “academic pursuit is not a day’s journey. It takes a long time to achieve such acquisitions of knowledge as required by society”.
According to him, to be an academic scholar, one needs to be encouraged as a basic factor that would enable you achieve your purposed. He disclosed further that encouragement is the basic ingredient one needed to grow in academics as in the case of knowledge, power, dignity and wealth. “In academics, one headache is on non-consistency in the pursuit as there is no short cut to academic success of anybody both in the system and otherwise”, he declared.
Omubo-Pepple, a professor of Solid Physics  disclosed that without hardwork, commitment and consistency the pursuit of success cannot be achieved, adding that Nigerian vocational system needs to be revived to match with global standard for the development of the average students in the country.
On the state of the institution currently, he applauded the leadership landmark achievements of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Blessing Didia for bringing rapid development of the school to a standard, especially in the areas of staff and students welfare, development of  serene learning environment, among others, describing him as a bridge builder.
He used the opportunity to call on both the students and teachers not to indulge in cultism which according to him is capable of destroying their future rather they should help to build and equip themselves for future challenges, pointing out that, “We should know that there is no power greater than that of God Almighty”.
As he puts it, “there is need for the future leaders to shun cultism, kidnapping, militancy, prostitution and other vices inimical to their growth through desperate politicians and other misguided elements in the society, who may rubbish their future for just no cause”.

Bethel Sam Toby