…Assures of Facility Upgrade at State Varsity

By Samuel Oyadongha, Yenagoa

Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has urged the National Universities Commission (NUC) to uphold objectivity and fairness as core guiding principles while carrying out its statutory oversight and accreditation functions across universities in the country.

The governor made the call when a four-member NUC accreditation team, on an assessment visit to the Faculty of Law, Niger Delta University (NDU), paid him a courtesy visit in Yenagoa.

Represented by his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, Governor Diri emphasized the importance of ensuring that accreditation exercises are conducted in a manner that promotes improved standards and quality education nationwide.

He underscored the significance of periodic accreditation as a tool for strengthening academic institutions and urged the visiting team to objectively identify the strengths and weaknesses of the NDU Law Faculty to enable the government make informed interventions.

“There is always the need for continuous improvement in every educational system, no matter how developed, so institutions can address emerging realities,” the governor said.

While assuring the team of his administration’s commitment to advancing education in the state, Diri revealed that efforts were underway to upgrade facilities at the Law Faculty, including new hostel accommodations and a modern faculty building at the Yenagoa campus.

He noted that the goal was to increase the admission quota for law students to about 150 per session without compromising academic standards.

“As a government, we are committed to providing additional facilities and structures for our premier university, especially the Law Faculty’s main building.

We are even making arrangements to acquire a property for hostel accommodation.

Help us identify areas of weakness and opportunities; we are ready to make the necessary improvements,” he added.

In his remarks, the Leader of the NUC Accreditation Team, Prof. Oladipo Solanke of Ajayi Crowther University, clarified that the team’s mission was to ascertain NDU’s compliance with NUC guidelines, not to witch-hunt any individual or institution.

He commended the Bayelsa State Government for its support to the university and lauded Senator Ewhrudjakpo for his dedication to academic development, noting his regular lectures at the Faculty of Law despite his official engagements.

The NUC team was accompanied by the Vice Chancellor of NDU, Prof. Allen Agih; Dean of the Faculty of Law, Prof. Gogo Otuturu; Faculty Examination Officer, Dr. Richard Ogbe; and other principal officers of the university.