A strong advocate for good governance and social justice, Dr. Peretengboro Klintin Bibaikefie has expressed his disappointment over what he termed a recurrence of violence against students by the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC).
This is coming on the heels of the unwarranted firing of live shots into the air and teargas at students whose only crime was to peacefully protest the extended delay in the disbursement of the 2019 DESOPADEC Bursery.
In his words; “We cannot continue to pay lip services to our love for education when government and her institutions at all levels only responds to education related matters as a last resort.
“One of us was short at and the Itsekiri Students’ President was axed in the head back in 2008, when we embarked on a similar protest over the delay to roll out the maiden version of the DESOPADEC Foreign Scholarship and Bursary Payment.
“We were forced to match to the governor office annex at Edjeba, to call for the desolation of the commission’s board, before the then Chairman, Chief Wellington Okrika budged, after Governor Uduaghan called him and his board to order.
“It is therefore very sad to hear that the same barbarism is still being perpetrated in this age and time.
“The leadership of the board must as a matter of urgency, rise to their responsibilities, apologize to the students for the delayed disbursement of the bursary and rash treatment netted out on them, pay all outstanding bursary and sundry payments, investigate who gave the order for the police to shoot and who was the policeman involved, and take necessary disciplinary actions.
As at today, a public statement on whether or not the commission is owing any such bursaries exists and what transpired on June 15, 2022 at their premises, is still being expected from the commission.
