Protest over seeming failure to upgrade the Delta State-owned university ( DELSU, Asaba camps and the Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba, erupted on Wednesday as Asaba youths under the aegis of Asaba Youths for Progress took to various streets to press home their demands for the schools’ upgrade to Universities
The protesters, though peaceful, displayed placards with the inscriptions:” We Want Asaba Campus Of Delsu, FEC technical Asaba upgraded to Universities, Asaba has no Universities,. We need full Fledged Universities in Asaba, we will not accept cheating at all, governments and authorities concerned should look into our plights, We need full-fledged universities”
Leader of the protesting group, Emeka Okelium who spoke to newsmen around the federal College of Education,( Technical) road in Asaba said ,”Our protest is as a result of the cheating, we need full Fledged Universities in Asaba, no full-fledged universities Asaba, We are not happy with the situation here, Asaba is a state Capital nothing as full-fledged universities. We need Delsu Asaba Campus and FEC, Technical to be universities hence the protest today”
The protesters however appealed to the state and federal governments to consider making the DELSU Asaba Campus, and Federal College of Education,( Technical) Asaba full-fledged universities, adding that” We are concerned because Asaba is Our place, and we need full Fledged Universities here,. We need urgent intentions to our request”
Also the traditional prime Minister ( Iyase) of Asaba, Chief Patrick Onyeobc Called for the upgrade of the two institutions ( DELSU Asaba Campus,FEC , Asaba) to the status full-fledged universities to accommodate the growing educational demands of the state capital.
Chief Onyeobi who spoke to newsmen while addressing the protesters, said the call had become necessary in the recent times considering the huge number of Deltans resident in the city who have to migrate to some other parts of the country in search of higher education, adding that the capital of oil-rich Delta State deserves the presence of a university as obtainable in other state capitals in the federation.
He said:” there are things that will make the state capital as mirror through which visitors access the progress of the state. I know it’s expensive to run a university but the private sector can be encouraged in Asaba because it is very important considering the huge population of people within university age bracket who have to travel out of the city for further education in other parts of the country.”
Comments