*Prof Peretomode gives account of stewardship as VC
By Eseoghene Emuke
The Vice Chancellor of the Delta State University (DELSU), Prof. Victor Peretomode says 68 graduating students of the institution are to bagged First Class honours at the 13th Convocation Ceremony holding on Saturday at the Indoor Complex in Abraka.
Peretomode, who is holding the last convocation ceremony of his first five-year tenure, noted that DELSU is now emerging as a world class university as the institution is now ranked as 46th best university in the African continent and 2nd among states’ universities in Nigeria.
He stated that a total of 4,252 students will be graduating with different degrees from the Post Graduates and Bachelor degree with 68 of them graduating with First Class honours and 1,172 Second Class Upper honours.
The Vice Chancellor who spoke on Thursday at a press conference in his office in Abraka, Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, said 691 of the graduands are of the Post Graduate programme.
Peretomode stated that the university is one of the few public universities in the country that regularly hold annual convocation ceremony, saying that the ceremony would be attended by the state governor and Visitor to the University, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa.
The VC, whose reign ends December, 2019, said one of his legacies as the Vice Chancellor of the institution was his ability to stabilize the institution’s academic calendar which was hitherto backward and delaying the graduation of students as at when due.
While reeling out some of the achievements recorded under his five-year reign, he said the university has received adequate funding from the Governor Okowa-led administration as well as adequate payment of salaries and allowances to the school workers.
He stated that the institution has also received approval from Governor Okowa for the take off of the faculty of Environmental Sciences, saying that academic programmes will begin as from the next academic session in September, 2019.
The VC, who commended Governor Okowa for his support to the institution, he said the university has recorded massive infrastructural development through the constructions of new roads, senate building, construction of two 500 Lecture theaters and hosts of other things under his leadership.
He revealed that to promote peace among his host communities, the DELSU management has visited the traditional rulers of its host communities including to the Ovie of Umiaghwa, Ovie of Oruarivie of Abraka, Asagba of Asaba and Odiologbo of Oleh Kingdoms.
He said 48 persons from the two Abraka Kingdoms have been trained on different entrepreneurial and vocational skills by the university as part of its social corporate responsibility to the communities while two persons each would soon be selected from its host communities for training in for free.
Prof Peretomode said his leadership has also put to an end every form of harassment either by lecturers or students within the university community, assuring that the school as from next session will offer free buses to students during examination to take them from their hostels to examination halls.
“The advantage of this peace that we have been able to bring to the institution has ensured that students graduate when they are supposed to graduate. If you are running a four-year course in the University, you will graduate even before the four years elapses.
“The institution frowns at any form of corruption at all levels and we will continue to discipline all those that are found wanting. Committees are set up for various offences in the University and we make sure we implement them to the later.
“We have tried to sanitize the system and students now have the boldness to report any form of harassment from lecturers, and when we investigate and find out the allegations are true, we discipline the lecturers in different ways”, Prof. Peretomode said.
He maintained that the university has also been able to review, update and introduced some new programmes in line with modern day realities, stressing that this has brought relief to students and lecturers.
The VC added, “Before now, some student used to spend up to ten years in the University for a four year course, but today it is no longer so. One can only spend six years in the University for a four years course, and after six years you are not able to pass the course, you will be dismissed.
“In the past four years, the drop-out rate in the University has reduced because of these rules. We no longer tolerate indecent dressings around the Campus. Even activities of the so called ‘Yahoo boys’ have also reduced drastically.”
