Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Alumni of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology(RSUST), Nkpolu, Port Harcourt, Rivers State has faulted as “false” and “pull him down campaign” the allegation of fake National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) exemption certificate levelled against the Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo.
The Bayelsa Governorship Election Petition Tribunal had issued a subpoena to Ewhrudjakpo to appear before it on June 1 to present the original copy of the NYSC exemption certificate.
However the Alumni Association under the aegis of Class 98 Old students of the RSUST resident in Bayelsa in a solidarity visit to Senator Ewhrudjakpo said he exhibited superlative academic performance as a coursemate in the Secretarial Administration Department of the University, which earned him nicknames such as “the great tutor” and “Professor”.
Mrs Florence Kenibara, who is the leader of the Class of 98 said the visit to the Bayelsa Deputy Governor was a convivial class reunion where speaker after speaker testified to the kindness, intelligence and progressive-mindedness of Senator Ewhrudjakpo.
Kenibara congratulated him on his emergence as the Deputy Governor, describing it as a divine arrangement for the state.
She said: I’m happy today, that God has further elevated him from being a senator to a Deputy Governor. You have made us proud and it is our prayer that God will take you higher and higher.
“We knew ourselves in the University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt. We studied together. He was very intelligent so he used to teach us after our lecturers had left. So, he became our great tutorial lecturer.We were admitted in the same year and graduated together. We became very close because we are both from the same state and local government area, precisely from Sagbama.”
Mrs Meremubio Ikio in her remarks called on Bayelsans to shun rumour-mongering and engage themselves in meaningful activities that would move the state forward.
Mrs Ikio cautioned, “Our people should do away with this pull him down syndrome and habit of rumour mongering because it will take us nowhere. I know Mr Ewhrudjakpo that is deputy Governor today very well.
“We graduated together in 1998. In fact, we were to graduate in the 1995/96 session but we couldn’t do so because of a prolonged ASUU strike during the Abacha administration.”
Ewhrudjakpo in his response expressed gratitude to members of the Class 98 Secretarial Administration students of the Rivers State University for sustaining the warm relationship several years after graduation.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo particularly thanked the delegation for the visit and assured them of his determination to make his Alma Mater proud wherever he finds himself in life.
