BAYELSA State-owned Niger Delta University, Amassoma, has witnessed an increase in the number of promotions among the academic staff and intake of students, within the last four years, with over 188 promotions of lecturers and increased student enrolment from 3,500 to 7,600.
According to existing data, the institution, under the leadership of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Samuel Edoumiekumo, also recorded a 100 per cent accreditation status for all academic programmes presented to the National University Commission, NUC, and professional accreditation from 2017 to date.
Prof. Femi Shaka, the former Dean, Faculty of Humanities, University of Port Harcourt, made these known weekend in Yenagoa while reviewing the 185 pages book entitled “Heroism from The Margin: The Story of Samuel Edoumiekumo’ by Prof. Benedict Binebai, confirmed that the surge in promotions of lecturers at the state varsity witnessed 57 lecturers promoted to the professional cadre, 81 others to Associate Professor cadre, 46 to Senior Lecturers and four others to the position of Deputy Registrar.
Shaka noted that despite the human capacity and infrastructural challenges facing the institution before the appointment of the incumbent Vice-Chancellor, Prof Edoumiekumo, the institution’s leadership attracted Tetfund and the need for assessment funds for the construction and completion of some gigantic and beautiful faculty buildings on the new campus of the Institution.
“The outstanding leadership trait of Prof. Edoumiekumo is that approved projects for the university big or small are constantly supervised personally and seen to the end.”
“The tradition of monitoring projects from commencement to completion in the institution is highly commendable. As a good leader, he believes that every building project on the soil of the Niger Delta adds value to the visibility and well-being of the region.”
He added: “The current administration in the Niger Delta University has adopted the use of technology to counter-cult activities and ease the conduct of businesses of school fees payment, course registration, allocation of hostel accommodation and clearance.
“ICT has a strong foothold in Niger Delta University. The institution also established an entrepreneur centre and two radio stations on campus.”
