There has been joyous celebration by the people of Abara town in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers state as Rivers State University Campus groundbreaking ceremony was performed by the executive Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike on Tuesday 1st of June, 2021.This is coming as the governor kick started his 45-days project Flag Off and commissioning while marking his six years of second term in office.
The Governor who boasted that his administration cannot be compared with other political parties that have nothing to show to Nigerians despite being in office for 6-years. You know the difference between us and them, is that you can see us everyday moving from one Local Government to another. It is either we are flagging-Off or Commissioning projects. They are not doing so because there’s nothing for them to do. They don’t have anything to show too. We started on the 27th of May, 2021 and we will end the first phase on the 10th of July, 2021. That’s more than a month of Flagging-Off or Commissioning projects. Who has ever done so in this country? Have we not secured a place already in the Guinness Book of Records?”
The Abara Etche Campus of Rivers State University is said to be in line with the visions of the founding fathers of the university who envisioned a multi-campus college of the university cited at different parts of the state as a way of distributing development to various rural communities of Rivers state. Meanwhile the Governor directed that 40-plots of Land opposite the Abara Etche campus should be acquired for siting the Police station. He said “We want a quality job because we are known for quality projects. From now till May 2022, economic activities will increase here, so, please Etche people, try and support the contractors to make sure they finish this job.”
Meanwhile the Rivers state Commissioner For Education Professor Kaniye Ebeku observed that “When Governor Wike first made the pronouncement and followed by the release of N16Billion to ensure that the three campuses are established, most people dismissed it as mere politics. Skeptics will now have no reason to doubt the sincerity of Governor Wike anymore because so far, two Campuses have been Flagged-Off for actual construction work to commence.”
According to Chancellor of Rivers state university, Professor Nlerum Okogbule the Senate and governing council
have approved the Faculty of Agriculture with the following Departments: Agricultural Extension and rural development, Crop/Soil Science, Forestry and Environment, Food Science Technology and Fisheries and aquatic Environment all will be located in the Etche Campus of Rivers State University. The Vice Chancellor stated that the decision of citing Faculty of Agriculture to Etche is because of her being an agrarian community and food basket of Rivers state.