The students said that the continued closure of the institution was a threat to educational development.
The students of Bayelsa State-owned Niger Delta University (NDU) on Wednesday protested over the continued closure of the institution.
The aggrieved students, who staged a protest in Yenagoa, marched from Mbiama Junction to the entrance to the Government House.
The students held placards inscribed with the students’ demands.
One of them read, “Dickson, Bring back NDU lecturers, we are tired of sitting at home, we want to go back to school."
The students said that the continued closure of the institution was a threat to educational development.
A student, Kemeowei James, said that the indefinite strike was not in the interest of society, urging the State government and Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the university to end the strike.
“Yes, we are protesting over the ASUU strike that has lingered, because we are tired of sitting at home; you know that an idle man is the devil’s workshop.
“We want the government to resolve the situation; the strike has increased hardship, making us sit idle and lose focus on our academic pursuits," he said.
Another student, Mary Goodluck, also appealed to the State government to dialogue with the ASUU to end the strike.
"We do not want our State to be known for criminality and right now, the strike has increased youth restiveness among other vices," Ms. Goodluck said.
Addressing the students, Mr. Serena Dokubo-Spiff, Secretary to Bayelsa State government, blamed the strike on ASUU, who he claimed had refused to honor their part payment agreement with the State government.
It will be recalled that ASUU had rejected the offer of 50 percent salary by the government.
“I feel your pains. You need not to suffer what you are suffering, but it is because ASUU has refused to sit down with the State government,’’ Mr. Dokubo-Spiff said.
Also in a statement issued by the Bayelsa Government, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Jonathan Obuebite, called on NDU students to blame their lectures and not the government for the situation.
Mr. Obuebite urged the students not to allow themselves to be used by the politicians to breach the existing peace in the State.
The university’s ASUU, on April 26, embarked on an indefinite strike following the unpaid backlog of salaries from December 2015 owed them by the Bayelsa State government.
