Indigenes and concerned stakeholders of Amassoma community which house’s the prestigious Niger Delta university NDU, have pleaded with Bayelsa state Government to stop the strategic relocation of sensitive departments in the faculty of Health sciences to other areas.
In a statement the elder statesman noted that the move is already raising mixed reactions from Bayelsans, as the gesture by government is not advisable for the development of the institution.
Also, There is disquiet in Amassoma Social media circle over report by one Pastor Emmanuel “that the State government has sent a memo to the Provost of the College of Health Sciences Amassoma informing her that government want to move a department which happens to be the biggest in the university to attach to Bayelsa State Medical University (BMU), reason being that the school is underpopulated.
The statement reads: “since the establishment of NDU by Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha of Blessed memory, subsequent governors have continued to move departments away from the university instead of adding to it”.
Departments moved so far include, the NDU Teaching Hospital to Okolobiri, Law to Yenagoa, the Continuous Education, the Demonstration School, and now the Largest Department in the College of Health Sciences to BMU.
They noted that but for the PTDF buildings, the State Government has not made any significant improvement in the school after the Alamieyeseigha era except the Senate Building and wondered why this Government will direct that more departments be moved out of the University.
They wondered why the State Government has not embarked on any major development project in the town in this second tenure. As The only visible ongoing project, the reconstruction of the classroom block at the GSS Amassoma, has been stalled since last year at the ground floor lintel level. The building is a 2-storey classroom block.
They also recalled the Pavillion being constructed, which is yet to be completed and handed over.
Also, the governor promised to build a cemetery for the community. Land has been acquired, but no action has commenced on the procurement of the project.
They wondered why Amassoma being the biggest rural settlement in the Niger Delta with massive voting strength, and a strong advocate for PDP is being treated this way by the government.
The news of this impending movement of the biggest department in the College of Health Sciences has sent shock waves through the town, and Amassomites are at a loss of what action to take.
They recalled similar news several years ago on the retrenchment of staff of the University by the previous administration, which led to a public protest that led to the killing of several Amassoma youths.
The town is yet to recover from that incident even after the recall of most of the staff by the current administration.
Some are calling for a similar protest while others are suggesting that the Amassoma Elected and Appointed politicians seek the audience with the Bayelsa State Governor to kindly request him to recind the decision.
While the Shockwave is reverberating in Amassoma, all eyes are on the Political and Traditional leaders, and stakeholders in the town as this movement of another department in the University is viewed as one movement that is one too many.
Instead of moving more departments from the university, they are calling on the government to add more value to the university and commerce the construction of developmental projects in the town, a list of which has been forwarded to the government.
In the coming weeks, the next action of Amassomites and the Leaders will become evident as Amassomites hold the NDU as a legacy project of their hero, DSP Alamieyeseigha and seeing the moving away of parts of the University again by the current administration is a letdown on his memory.
