Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi has pledged government resolve for better working conditions and manpower in the State owned University of Science and Technology(RSUST).

Governor Amaechi made the pledge at the 24th convocation ceremony of the university in Port Harcourt.

In the words of the Governor,’’ I will urge the Vice Chancellor of the university and management to sit with ASUU and negotiate a new condition of service, which includes determination of staff who do not live up to their expectation.

‘’ I will also implore the university to employ new academic staff. There is no university if there are no teachers’’, he stated.

He approved the completion of the Moot Court building of the Faculty of Law as it would enhance the quality of graduates from the department.

Rt Hon. Amaechi however urged the management of the institution to stop playing politics,’’ the management must devoid itself from politics I don’t approve of the signboards I see around the campus comparing what is in the past to the present. Whatever achievements we have made we congratulate the Vice Chancellor for those achievements and let it remain as achievements.’’

The Governor commended the industry and commitment of the Governing Council and the Vice Chancellor for overhauling the institution and being able to break the jinx of non-accreditation and clearing the backlog of students who were unable to graduate over the years.

Amaechi congratulated the graduands urging them to be torch lights of the society,’’ Ideas rule the world, hence this convocation is an indication of the seriouness and commitment you have shown to your studies. Bring the same to bear as you go to the outside world ‘’, he remarked.

He lauded Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon Odein Ajumogobia for bagging the university’s honourary doctorate degree in law observing that the award is in recognition of Ajumogobia’s hardwork and intergrity and wished him well in the future.

In his address earlier, the Pro-Chancellor of the university, Justice Adolphus Karibi-Whyte stated that the institution was undergoing drastic changes, and expressed appreciation to the Governor for providing the moral and financial support to the Governing Council.

Justice Karibi-Whyte said,’’ I wish to express our profound gratitude to your Excellency for your unparalleled and continued support to the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST). You are one Visitor to this university that has shown a thorough understanding of the peculiar problems of our university’’.

The Vice Chancellor, Prof Barineme Fakae said the convocation was coming six months after the last one last year to clear the backlog of 2010-2011, while promising that the next convocation would come up next year,’’ it would please Our Excellency and our august audience to know that two convocations have taken place back to back, with internally-generated revenue without going cap in hand requesting for funds’’, he stressed.

So far, he explained that the university had made tremendous strides over the years with a full accreditation of all its programmes by National University Commission(NUC). Currently he said the institution had become a world class in infrastructure and ICT, as it was rated A in its category of univerisites by NUC.

H noted that a total of 3,541 students graduated with different degrees,as he congratulated Hon. Ajumogobia for bagging the university’s honourary doctorate degree in  Law.