The Rivers state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has declared that no price is too much for peace to reign in the state.
Fubara expressed his commitment to ensuring peace in the state and among the people to foster development.
This commitment refers to the Abuja deal, in which he and other stakeholders entered into an eight-point agreement to end the protracted crisis in the state.
The governor spoke on Tuesday, December 19, at the 3rd Convocation and 6th Founders Day ceremonies of the PAMO University of Medical Sciences in Iriebe Town, Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.
He said: “There is no price that will be too big to pay to ensure that peace prevails.”
Fubara assured that he was prepared to continue to pay the necessary price that would guarantee peace.
He also assured that the provision of a quality education system and affordable public healthcare services remained two vital priorities of his administration.
The governor said: “While some progress has been made, it is obvious that a lot still needs to be done to achieve our collective aspirations for universal access to quality education and healthcare for our people. I need not say that no society can progress without educated and healthy people.”
Fubara noted the giant strides achieved within six years of PAMO University founded by Dr. Peter Odili, to become Nigeria’s most outstanding private medical institution.
The governor said that his administration had increased the number of the state’s yearly scholarships in the university from 100 to 150 students.
He said: “I assure you that we have no choice as a government, but to continue to offer tangible material support to enable the university to widen the scope and quality of medical education and services it provides in our State.”
On his part, the Chancellor of the institution, and Chairman Board of Trustees, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar expressed optimism that the graduating students would be good ambassadors of the institution.
He said the school moulded them to be excellent in their studies by being humane and honest in the discharge of their duties.
In his speech, Pro-Chanchellor and Chairman of Council, Dr. Peter Odili, who is also a former governor of Rivers State said the institution that started in 2018 had come of age graduating students to become medical doctors inducted into the medical profession.
Giving his address, Vice-Chancellor of the Pamo University of Medical Sciences, Prof. Michael Diejomaoh said about 89 students graduated from the school.
He said out of the number, 40 were the pioneer medical doctors of the school while 49 graduated from various medical courses.
He disclosed that five students graduated with first class.