“State government could no longer fund Niger Delta University” - Dickson

Dickson called on the Academic Staff Union of University, ASUU, to call off the ongoing strike action caused by the sharp drop in state revenues.

The Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr Seriake Dickson, on Thursday disclosed that the state government could no longer continue funding the state-owned Niger Delta University in Wilberforce Island, Amassoma.

Dickson, who spoke during a meeting with the Governing Council and principal officers of NDU in Government House, Yenagoa, noted that he could not sustain the existing funding system owing to the present poor financial standing of the state.

He called on the striking workers and management of the only state-owned university in the state to be more resourceful and innovative in generating revenue for the institution.

The governor noted that a situation where the state government’s monthly subvention of about N480 million is spent on only the university’s recurrent expenditure was ‘unsustainable’.

He harped on the need for the University leadership to be prudent in the use of funds, with a view to enabling the institution gain some degree of financial autonomy.