Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has announced a grant of N500 million for the newly established Pamo University of Medical Sciences to support the development of the school and its students.
Declaring open the commencement of Pamo University of Medical Sciences during the installation of the Chancellor, Wike said that the state needs more private universities, promising to sponsor 100 students annually for the next five years.
‘’We will sign a memorandum of understanding with the university for the state government to sponsor 100 students annually for five years’’, Wike said as he commended former Governor Peter Odili for breaking the ground by investing in the setting up of the university in the state.
The governor said his administration has stepped up their campaign for inflow of direct local and foreign investment, promising more juicy incentives to investors in the process.
He assured that his administration is ever ready to partner with private investors in every strategic economic sectors of the state.
Rivers is one of the big oil states in Southern Nigeria. She accounts for over 40% of crude oil produced on-shore in the country and 100% of the liquefied gas that Nigeria is currently exporting to several countries of the world.
The state is bounded on the South by the Atlantic Ocean, the North by Anambra, Imo and Abia states in Eastern Nigeria. To the East, she shares border with Akwa Ibom State and with Bayelsa and Delta states on her Western flank. Topographically, Rivers has flat plains with a network of rivers and creeks.
The main rivers include New Calabar, Orashi, Bonny, Sombriero and Bartholomew Rivers.
Apart from oil and gas, Rivers is blessed with many other natural resources including timber, white sand beaches, clay for ceramics (ash yellow and red) etcetera, all yearning for exploitation, and Port Harcourt, the state capital, is one of the most important commercial and industrial centres in Nigeria with the second busiest seaport in the country.
Furthermore, her tourism opportunities and potentials are legendary and the famous Elephant sanctuary in Andoni local government area holds a lot for tourism. The state is also endowed with multifaceted cultural attributes and deltaic tropical rain forest with a good part of its bordering on Atlantic, seashore which provides the state the unique opportunity to focus the tourism development policy on promoting eco and cultural tourism.
General Abdulsalam Abubakar, Chancellor of the new university and former Head of State, said it is a privilege for him to serve in enhancing the training of more medical doctors.
Peter Odili, the Pro-Chancellor, said the idea of the university was initiated after a chance meeting with the Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Abubakar Rasheed who suggested that he should contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the area of medical sciences.
On his part, Rasheed said with very limited spaces for the training of medical doctors in existing institutions, the establishment of Pamo University is a welcome boost.
Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger State says the chancellor of the university General Abdulsalam Abubakar will add great value to the university through his wealth of knowledge.
Professor Anthony Onwuka, the minister of state for Education, assured the new university of the support of the Federal Ministry of Education as they work towards contributing to the development of the education sector.
With the Pamo University, the state now boasts of five degree-awarding institutions, two refineries, a petro-chemical plant, a fertilizer plant and a liquefied natural gas plant.
