Senate President Godswill Akpabio says the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers will broker peace among the warring factions.

Mr Akpabio stated this in Calabar on Friday when he was inducted into the University of Calabar (Unical) Hall of Fame as part of the institution’s 50th anniversary and 37th convocation ceremony.

The Senate president was inducted alongside the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu; a former minister of humanitarian affairs, Betta Edu; and a business mogul, Chukwuemeka Egwuonwu.

Mr Akpabio noted that President Bola Tinubu’s action on Rivers was guided by the constitution and promised to continually contribute his quota to the development of his alma mater.

Recalling with nostalgia his journey as a student at Unical, Mr Akpabio said, “I have a brand new bus for the Faculty of Law and another for the Student Union Government (SUG) of this university since I was a former speaker of the SUG. I encourage you to take your education seriously and to support the growth of education and the university. I dedicate this award to  God.”

On his part, the deputy speaker of the house, who presented the convocation lecture, said universities in the country must go beyond theory as part of efforts to address the nation’s challenges.

He insisted that education will not be complete “if the town does not feel the impact of the gown.”

The lecture was titled “Our Gowns in Town and in Cyber Space: Sustainable and Human-Centred Education, the Mandate of Our Universities, 2025 to 2075.”

“Education is not about acquiring knowledge but acquiring it to shape society. As we approach 2075, our education must have meaningful societal impact,” he highlighted.

Similarly, the former humanitarian affairs minister said Mr Tinubu’s student loan scheme already gave indigent students opportunities to pursue their educational careers.

“I believe strongly that the future is bright for education in Nigeria. On this note, on behalf of the Class of  2009 medical students and set,  we are contributing to the completion of the institution’s medical centre. We will not only complete the structures but we are going to fully provide the equipment needed for it to function optimally,” she said.

(NAN)