Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has pledged to raise the standard of education in the state even though the state’s four tertiary institutions are top-notch and generally competitive based on their performances over the years.
He said, :That is why, as a government, our focus is to better the lives of our people to improve on what we have inherited so that whoever is going to come after us will have something to say that this is what we have done.”
Governor Fubara said records indicate that the higher institutions in the state have had a high ratings on performance in all sectors, from infrastructure to manpower, service delivery and students’ overall output.
The governor said these when he received in audience the House of Representatives Technical Sub-Committee on Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) and Other Services, led by its Chairman, Hon. Miriam Odinaka Onuoha, at Government House in Port Harcourt on Thursday.
He also advised against individual or collective decisions and actions that inadvertently contribute to destroying public institutions, making it almost impossible to correct when the evil caused becomes regrettable.
The Governor cautioned that people who should know better and be well exposed to the workings of public institutions must not put themselves in such positions to disrespect constituted authority owing to the fact that they disliked the occupant of a particular office.
Fubara said: “But it is the mistake that we are making. If you do not respect an authority, you are killing an institution. It is not about the head as at today. But when you set a very wrong precedent, tomorrow, when you try to change it, you pay dearly for it.
“That is why, as a government, our focus is to better the lives of our people to improve on what we have inherited so that whoever is going to come after us will have something to say that this is what we have done.”
The Governor, who noted how funding has remained a big challenge to tertiary institutions, said state universities rely solely on their governments for sustenance, and often get so little financial support.
But he quickly added that the Rivers State Government has invested hugely in its tertiary institutions, and improved their status so that hardly any institution in Nigeria can compete with them.
He said, “If you go to Rivers State University, today, you’ll see the level of development, the standard of structures, and not just structures but also the quality of manpower that we have. It means that education is a priority in our State.
“So, I want to thank you for commending our State because I see that you have already given us a pass mark that we are doing well. I will also ask that you give them all the necessary assistance to make sure that we access this fund so that we can apply it for the good of our tertiary institutions.
“But when it comes to this very special support that is coming for the development of the tertiary institutions, I can say, proudly, that it has really contributed to, and helped in the development of our tertiary institutions.
“I have cases that I can really pinpoint in Rivers State University. In fact, the VC, in one of our discussions, mentioned the support they got, and what they did with the projects and how the projects also lifted the university, helped them in facilitating accreditation because of the level of work they did.
“So, I want to thank you, not just you but the initiators, which is the Federal Government and the support from the National Assembly given to see that these funds are utilised for the good of our higher institutions.”
Fubara emphasised that the State Government has invested so much in its tertiary institutions, providing standard infrastructure, and improving the quality of manpower services that have distinguished the institutions among their peers.
He said: “I’m also very happy that in our own State, the heads of these institutions are ensuring that they access the funds. I did hear you clearly, you said in order states, that they have cases of having backlogs running into billions of Naira. In these our institutions here, they’re very active and they are doing their best.
“Concerning the unaccess funds, I believe that when we leave here and follow the help that you are willing to render by relaxing those very strenuous and stringent conditions, we are going to access them and ensure that we put them to good use in our schools in Rivers State.
“I have no doubt about the usefulness of the money because from this spreadsheet that I’m seeing here, the areas of concern are already specified, and it is not something that when you get for physical infrastructure, you now use it for ICT. It is not like that. So, they are defined and the purposes are very clear.”
Fubara urged the heads of the tertiary institutions in the state to work with TETFUND consultants so that they can access the outstanding backlog of funds from 2020 to 2024, and be ready to also access the funds for 2025.
The chairman of the House of Representatives Technical Sub-Committee on Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) and Other Services, Hon. Miriam Odinaka Onuoha, had earlier told the governor they were in the State for oversight duties on TETFUND projects.
The lawmaker rated the State’s tertiary institutions high in the general performance index, saying that the committee was satisfied by what it has seen on ground, and the preparedness of the management of the four institutions to leverage available funding to upscale infrastructure, training opportunities and other facilities.
She explained that there was already N500 million unaccess TETFUND funds by states, arguing that it was imperative for the money to be accessed so that they benefit from the targeted support to tertiary institutions.
Hon Onuoha particularly commended the Rivers State Government for taking advantage of the funds and accessing a large sum, leaving those of 2020 to 2024 amounting to N2.2billion, and encouraged the State to ensure it accessed it to solve prevailing critical problems in those targeted institutions.
The lawmaker commended the governor’s management of the #EndBadGovernance protest, by ensuring that while not denying residents their fundamental rights to peaceful assembly, procession, and freedom of expression, he made sure that they did so in a very peaceful manner.