Lecturers of the Bayelsa State owned University, Niger Delta University (NDU), Ammassoma in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the State on Tuesday called off its four months old strike action.
The decision to call off the strike action followed the meeting and the formal signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, MOU, between the Bayelsa State Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Niger Delta University chapter.
Confirming the development after a joint meeting of ASUU and officials of the State Government at the House of Assembly Complex in Yenagoa, the Chairman of ASUU, NDU Chapter, Dr. Stanley Ogoun and the State Commissioner of Information and Orientation, Hon. Jonathan Obuebite, expressed satisfaction with the contents of the MOU, assuring that, they will ensure strict compliance with the various provisions of the document, as it affects them.
The ASUU Chairman, who commended the State Government’s mediating team headed by Dr. Seiyifa Koroye, pointed out that, part of the agreement it reached with the State Government is to improve on the infrastructure and other facilities needed to properly position the University for optimum result and recognition in the comity of Universities.
Dr. Ogoun, who commended the present administration repositioning the institution, however, blamed the state of affairs in the university on successive administrations of the State, stressing that, little or nothing was done to improve the infrastructure and basic needs of the university over the years.
“It’s just a particular government has to take responsibility for the plight of the university and at this point, we needed to draw the attention of the present government and that is what we have done”
On his part, the Commissioner of Information and Orientation, Hon. Obuebite commended Governor Henry Seriake Dickson for his personal commitment and efforts at ending the crisis, which was becoming a source of concern to the Government and people of the State,pointing out that, even before the signing of the MOU, the Governor had taken steps to address a number of the demands of ASUU.
He described the Niger Delta University as the flagship tertiary institution and the only publicly funded university in the State Government, stressing that, the Government will continue to fulfill its statutory obligations to the NDU.
The Information and Orientation Commissioner, however, blamed the issues leading up to the strike on the current state of the economy at the State and Federal levels, noting that, before the economic downturn, the State Government had met all its financial commitments to the university.
According to him, the NDU remains the major resource base for the training of the future leaders of the State, gave an assurance that, the Government will do everything within its reach to avoid a re-occurrence of the crisis, which kept Children at home for as long as it did.