By Nelson Agbajor
A group known as Forum of Patriotic Deltans has faulted a statement credited to the Executive Assistant to the Governor of Delta State on Communications, Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe, wherein he said that the recent Bill sent to the State House of Assembly, for the upgrade of three institutions to universities was done without tribal or ethnic consideration.
While reacting to the views advanced by Oghenesivbe in defence of the decision of the state government, the group led by Mr James Okoro Obukowho, threw its weight behind Comrade Sheriff Mulade, who accused the government of bias against the Ijaws and Itsekiris in the selected institutions for conversion to universities in the state.
The group described Oghenesivbe’s views as political, biased, of interest of a few and a mere window-dressing exercise.
According to the group in the spirit of equity and fairness, the Ijaw nation has not done wrong by demanding an upgrade of institutions in their areas by the Okowa’s administration.
The group said it supports the advice given by Mulade for the Delta State Government to upgrade certain schools and institutions in Ijaw and Itsekiri nations to universities.
Reactions have continued to trail the recent upgrade of some institutions to universities by the state government.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa recently forwarded executive bills to the State House of Assembly to convert and upgrade three institutions in the state to full-fledged universities status.
The schools are College of Education, Agbor now to be State University of Education, Ozoro Polytechnic now to be State University of Science and Technology and Anwai campus of the Delta State University to be upgraded to University of Science and Agriculture.
