By Samuel Oyadongha

Yenagoa—Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, has inaugurated a 16 member special committee on the Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, chaired by Prof. Stephen Odiowei, with a mandate to develop a blue-print for the sustainable development of the institution.

Inaugurating the committee at the Diepreye Alamieyeseigha Memorial Banquet Hall, Government House, Yenagoa, the governor said, henceforth, the state government will only give subvention to the NDU, as the institution was expected to be creative, in looking for extra-funding as obtainable in other public universities.

Dickson described the committee as very important, considering the place of NDU in the educational sector and the overall development of the state.

According to him, membership of the committee was constituted to reflect the importance government attached to the sector.

The committee terms of reference include to draw up a short, medium and long term development plan for the NDU.; to examine the performance of the NDU in terms of academic programmes, infrastructural development, adequacy of manpower, examine the quality of output so as to determine whether the University has met the objectives of its founding.

The governor further urged the committee to examine the security situation in the NDU and develop a sustainable security system, within the university and its environs and determine the extent of land encroachment by communities and families around the university and make appropriate recommendations to arrest such or recover such encroached land.