NUC RECOGNIZES BAYELSA MEDICAL UNIVERSITY, YENAGOA ......Information transmitted to JAMB and NYSC....NUC Executive Secretary......Presents Certificate to Gov. Seriake Dickson

Gov. Dickson receiving the Certificate of Recognition from Prof. Rasheed, E S of the NUC

NUC RECOGNIZES BAYELSA MEDICAL UNIVERSITY, YENAGOA ......Information transmitted to JAMB and NYSC....NUC Executive Secretary

......Presents Certificate to Gov. Seriake Dickson

By Michael Egiethua in Abuja.

The Bayelsa State University, Yenagoa has been recognized by the National Universities Commission (NUC) as the 170^th University in Nigeria, the 48^th State Government owned University, Second State owned Medical University and Fourth Medical University in Nigeria. This recognition took place with immediate effect on Thursday, 31^st of January, 2019 and the certificate presented at the NUC Headquarters in Abuja by the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed.

Prof Abubakar Rasheed said that with the successes achieved so far in the 1^st State University, the Niger Delta University in Wilberforce Island and the 2^nd state owned University, the University Of Africa, Toru, it was clear that anything the Governor touched turned to Gold. He said with such a record, the Bayelsa Medical University, Yenagoa being the 4^th Medical University in Nigeria hopefully will rise to be number 1 soon. He said that the Commission hopes the University will be a pacesetter.

Governor Dickson presenting a document to Prof. Rasheed, Tthe Executive Secretary of the NUC

Receiving the Certificate on behalf of his delegation and the people of Bayelsa State, Governor Henry Seriake Dickson thanked the Executive Secretary for the great work he is doing serving humanity and Nigeria. He thanked him specifically for the expeditious way and manner the application and request was attended to, for the confidence expressed in their ability to see through the vision behind the establishment of the Bayelsa Medical University.

Governor Dickson said when the Executive Secretary and his team visit the University, they would find in place, a Four Hundred Bed Capacity Teaching Hospital, a Diagnostic Centre, ready infrastructure that can take One Thousand Students in campus, facilities, accommodation, Faculty buildings, and classroom blocks that will accommodate lecturers and students.

Governor Dickson reiterated that his administration intends to deliver this project to cosmopolitan and Universal Standards. The intention is to be a renowned Medical Institution in the area of Public Health, dealing with issues such as maternal and infant mortality and producing experts of various fields.

Gov. Dickson in a group photograph with the Executive Secretary of the NUC and his team

In his earlier presentation, Governor Dickson had expressed his total believe and commitment to education at all levels in the State. Specifically, he said free, qualitative and compulsory education at the primary and secondary school levels were backed by policy and legislation in a manner that is sustainable through the state Education Trust Fund and Legislation that compels students to be in school within the stipulated time. He said funding education has been the single most important priority of his administration in the last seven years.

Governor Dickson said that if we as a nation don’t build schools, then we should be ready to build more Prisons and cemeteries because we would need them. He said further that even children we send abroad will get killed by those we have failed to educate. He said in Bayelsa State, there were no boarding schools seven years ago but that today, there are 15 boarding schools with an ambitious effort at building 25 more constituency boarding schools in the state. He said over 10,000 students have been taken from their parents and placed in boarding schools after a rigorous process of selection of the best across the state and given free boarding, uniforms, books, computers and well equipped Laboratories and classrooms for learning.

Governor Dickson said there has been an encouraging improvement in the performance of the students in WEAC and NECO with the state rising from the 27^th position it used to be in the past to between 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th positions out of the 36 States and the FCT of Nigeria.

Governor Dickson further decried the funding of universities in Nigeria and blamed it on those playing politics with university funding. He said that the tendency to play politics with universities would further aggravate and indeed kill the valued institution.

In his words, “Nigerian Universities cannot afford the luxury of being cheaper than nursery and primary schools. It is the fault of the leadership of the country. These are the same people who are sending their wards and pay fees which are ten times higher. The fact is that we play politics with funding of the universities and the universities are dying”.

The Governor however said that qualitative University Education cannot be free. He said Nigerians go abroad, even here in Africa to pay huge amounts in hard currencies to get qualitative education for their children. Therefore, he said if we can have qualitative Universities here in Nigeria, then it is about time we started looking inwards for our tertiary education needs. Governor Dickson said it is in this regards, that Bayelsa State targets to be a big player in the knowledge economy of the future.

The Governor’s delegation comprised the Senator representing the Bayelsa West Senatorial District, Senator Foster Ogola, Commissioner for Education, Hon. Jonathan Obuebite, Vice Chancellor of the Niger Delta University, Prof. Samuel Edonmiekumor, Bayelsa Medical University , Ebitimitula Etebu, the Project Coordinator, Bayelsa Medical University, Mr. Bennaiah Oye and the Acting Registrar, Dr. Akpoebi Adesi.