Assembly considers bill establishing degree-awarding college in Diri’s town

An executive bill seeking to establish the Bayelsa State College of Management and Technology on Wednesday passed second reading on the floor of the state House of Assembly in Yenagoa.

Moving a motion during plenary presided over by the Speaker, Abraham Ingobere, the Leader of the House, Monday Bubou-Obolo, said the college will award diploma and degree certificates and will be sited at Sampou in the Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of the state.

Sampou is the hometown of the state governor, Douye Diri.

Bubou-Obolo rationalised that “the bill, when signed into law, will bridge the educational gap, advance learning and increase the management and technical know-how of the state.”

According to him, the institution will be of great benefit as it will create employment opportunities and also enable Bayelsa to be at par with other states of the federation in terms of education.

Speaking separately in support of the bill, Ebi Ben-Ololo of Nembe Constituency 1; Salo Adikumo (Sagbama 3); and Macdonald Igbadiwe (Southern Ijaw 4), stated that education and technology were catalysts for any developing state and allowed for private industries to thrive.

They further said the college would boost vocational skills and prevent capital flight from the state.

Other lawmakers, including Douglas Sampson-Awudulu (Nembe 3); Charles Daniel (Brass 1); and Tonye Isenah (Kolokuma/Opokuma 1), in their various contributions, opined that it is difficult to separate management from technology in the current digital world.

They also pointed out that human capital development is important for the state, stressing that this is what the bill aims to achieve.

The bill was, however, committed to the House Committee on Education to report back in two weeks.