The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has flagged off the construction of a model student’s hostel at the Niger Delta University, Amassoma, Bayelsa State, just as it donated a 1,000KVA generator and a brand-new Coaster bus to the university.
Performing the sod-turning ceremony at the university premises, the Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, commended the NDDC for demonstrating commitment to building capacity in Nigerian universities.
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He lauded the Commission for fulfilling its promise to provide a 1,000KVA power generating set and a 23-seater bus for the university.
Speaking earlier during a brief session at the Senate Building of the university, the NDDC Interim Administrator, Dr. Efiong Akwa, urged Nigerian universities to explore their huge potentials and the opportunities available to them to make them self-sustaining.
He urged universities in the Niger Delta region to be more proactive in their efforts in other to ensure their self-sustainability and continued profitability.
Akwa said: “Universities have huge potentials and they have not quite utilised their potentials. I encourage you to put in more efforts in research and wherever we can, we will support you. That way is better than waiting for handouts from government.”
In his own remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the Niger Delta University, Professor Samuel Edoumiekumo called for more collaboration between the university and the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.
Edoumiekumo said the call for closer collaboration with the NDDC had become urgent and imperative to assist the university to positively impact the Niger Delta region.
While noting that two of the Commission’s former Chief Executives were former lecturers of the university, he commended the efforts of the NDDC in meeting the aspirations of the Niger Delta region.
He, however, noted that the university needed more projects to enlarge its scope. For instance, he said, the need for a new hostel was critical for the university.
The Vice Chancellor said: “We are happy that NDDC is building a 2-kilometre rigid pavement road in the university. However, we still have a lot of needs in the area of electricity.”
In a related development, the NDDC presented keys of four waste disposal trucks to Governor Duoye Diri at the Government House, Yenagoa, to assist the state in improving sanitation.
Receiving the keys of the vehicles, Governor Diri thanked the Interim Management of the Commission for the donation and promised to put them into maximum use.
The NDDC Chief Executive Officer announced that the waste disposal trucks being distributed to all the nine Niger Delta States were meant to complement the efforts of the various governments to keep their environment clean.
He said the Commission donated the trucks to support the campaigns by the State Governments to ensure a healthy environment in the Niger Delta region.
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