Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has appealed to striking lecturers at the state-owned Niger Delta University (NDU) to call off their industrial action, which began on December 10. According to Governor Diri, the government is willing to make concessions to improve the welfare of the lecturers.

The governor made the appeal during the 148th meeting of the state executive council in Government House, Yenagoa, upon his resumption from annual leave. He urged the lecturers to toe the path of negotiation in the interest of the students. “Let me call on ASUU that strikes should be the last resort and I invite them to come back to negotiation. The issues can be amicably resolved,” Governor Diri said.

As reported by Daniel Alabrah, Chief Press Secretary to Governor, Bayelsa State, Governor Diri stressed that his administration holds lecturers in high esteem and is willing to listen to their demands. “Government is willing to ensure that the welfare of lecturers and of our workers is prioritised. Let us look at the future of our children and the younger ones. We hold lecturers in high esteem in this state,” he said.

The governor also warned cattle herders that flout the state’s law against open grazing, stating that the ban is still in force. He directed relevant government officials to ensure compliance with the anti-open grazing law and tasked community leaders to work with state officials to implement the law.

Governor Diri expressed appreciation to the people of the state for their support during his leave and urged them not to relent as the government needs their support to succeed. He was presented with several awards, including Governor of the Year on Marine and Blue Economy and Best Security Conscious Governor. The governor rewarded the Bayelsa State Council for Arts and Culture, which emerged overall champions at the National Festival of Arts And Culture (NAFEST), with N30 million.