From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
The Vice Chancellor, Rhema University, Aba, Abia State, Professor Ogbonna Onwudiwe, has joined the bandwagon of those calling for the amendment of the law establishing the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TetFUND) to allow its activities to be extended to private universities.
Prof Onwudiwe made the call in his office while addressing newsmen on feats achieved by the university in recent times.
He said the call on the federal government to amend the TetFUND law has become imperative to allow private universities to benefit from the TetFUND, to enable them to develop themselves.
“The Federal Government should, as a matter of urgency, amend the law establishing TetFUND, to enable it to extend its interventions to privately owned universities because we train people from the same economy.”
Prof Onwudiwe disclosed that Rhema University has been granted full accreditation to graduate students in medicine and surgery as well as radiography.
“It is our joy to announce that we have received full accreditation to graduate our first set of students in Medicine and Surgery. We have received full accreditation from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) and the National Universities Commission (NUC).
“We have also received approval from the Radiographers Board of Nigeria. They visited us on March 6, 2026. Before then, the NUC had visited us for the programme and asked us to go ahead. The Radiographers Board also came for their own verification. The visit is important because if you graduate anyone in radiography, they won’t certify the person.
‘’The MBBS examination to produce the first set of medical doctors by the university will commence on July 13, after which we will turn out our first set of medical doctors. The MDCN will also send monitors to the examination.”
He disclosed that the approval was granted in a letter dated March 17, signed by the Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, (MDCN), Prof Fatima Kyari.
The letter read in part, “I am pleased to convey provisional approval for the final accreditation of your medical programme.
“By this approval, the College can now conduct the 5th (final) MBBS professional examination that will allow the medical students to graduate.”
The Vice Chancellor further disclosed that the university has full accreditation in Nursing Science, Banking and Finance, Mass Communication, Economics, Marketing, Political Science, among others, while an accreditation visit would soon be held for medical laboratory science.
