Vice Chancellor of Bayelsa State’s premier university, Niger Delta University (NDU), Professor Samuel Gowon Edoumiekumo, has re-expressed his commitment towards making the institution a centre for academic excellence.
He stated this while speaking with journalists in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, at the weekend, shortly after the presentation of a book titled, ‘Heroism From The Margin:The Story Of Samuel Gowon Edoumiekumo, Vice Chancellor, Niger Delta University, authored by the university’s Orator, Professor Benedict Binebai.
The university’s administrator, who described the author of the book as a prolific writer and academic giant, noted that Professor Binebai captured up to 90 percent of his stewardship as Vice Chancellor of the institution.
Edoumiekumo, who doubles as the Chairman of the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, also bemoaned the poor funding of education in the country.
He also called on the Federal Government and the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to go back to the negotiation table so as to end the strike embarked upon by the later.
The VC emphasised that Nigerian universities have the academic manpower to make the nation self-sufficient in its quest for science, technology and economic development.
He, however, noted that the bane of the nation’s rapid socio-economic development was inadequate funding for research and the government’s lack of the political will towards the implemention of agreements earlier reached with both the academic and non-academic unions of the nation’s higher institutions.
“The NDU, for instance, was founded in the year 2000 and we begun our academic session in the year 2001/2002. But as young as the NDU is, we’ve made so much progress, in both academic, research and innovation.
“This book, as written by the author, captured at least ninety percent of my achievements as the 4th Vice Chancellor of the NDU. The Nigerian Universities have what it takes to develop this nation, socio-economically and otherwise.
“By God’s special grace, the next book which would be launched next year, around May, when I’d be handing over as Vice Chancellor of the NDU, would capture more than ninety percent of what we achieved in the NDU under my stewardship”, he said.
He called on the Government and the striking ASUU to go back to the negotiation table so as to end the strike.
“You can see that whenever our students from the NDU and other Nigerian Universities move abroad in pursuance of further education, they become the best.
“That’s to say that we’ve good universities. Our only problem is that of poor funding by the government”, the VC added.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa