Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri given a stern warning to students engaging in cult activities at the state-owned Niger Delta University (NDU), Wilberforce Island, Amassoma, in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area to withdraw from the institution or be ready for expulsion.
The Governor also directed the Vice Chancellor and the institution’s management to fish out culprits and dismiss anyone found culpable.
The Bayelsa State governor gave the directive during the NDU 7th Combined Convocation following recent incidents of students cult rivalry that reportedly claimed lives in the community.
It was the second time in a week that the governor had issued such warning.
He gave a similar directive to security agencies in the state and the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice on Wednesday during the state executive council meeting to speedily prosecute anyone arrested for cult-related crimes in the state.
He restated his call on students to avoid cultism, stressing that there was no room for such activities in universities, but rather it is a place for character building and learning.
Governor Diri assured the institution that 25 years after it was established by the Diepreye Alamieyeseigha administration, his government will actively contribute to the narrative that will shape it for the next 25 years.
He said having done the groundbreaking of the 5000-seater convocation arena and the Faculty of Environmental Sciences building before the ceremony commenced, these were tangible expressions of his government’s commitment to fostering an environment conducive to academic excellence.
He assured that under his administration, facilities in the institution will adhere to accreditation standards set by the National Universities Commission and the relevant regulatory councils and boards.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor Prof. Allen Agih said 6,536 graduands took part in the ceremony, including 5,726 for Bachelor’s degrees with 69 First Class honours.
Timinipre Ohia reports that were also 810 higher degrees graduands, including 16 professional diplomas, 191 post- graduate diplomas and 458 Master’s degrees.