The Bayelsa State Government has denied reports claiming it plans to relocate the College of Health Sciences of the Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Amassoma, describing the speculation as false.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Daniel Alabrah, the government said there was no proposal before Governor Douye Diri to move the college from its current location.
“The rumour that the Bayelsa State Government is planning to relocate the College of Health Sciences of the Niger Delta University is unfounded and emanated from the contorted imagination of its purveyors,” the statement read.
It added that Governor Diri had neither approved any recommendation for such a move nor was the issue being considered by the government.
He stated, “His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri, has neither approved such recommendation of any committee report nor is it in the contemplation of government to relocate the college.”
The government explained that both the College of Health Sciences at NDU and the Bayelsa Medical University currently have limited admission quotas, making any relocation unnecessary and potentially disruptive.
The statement read, “The annual admission quotas for the Colleges of Health Sciences of the Niger Delta University and the Bayelsa Medical University are still inadequate, and any such action would disrupt the academic progress of the institutions and their medical students.”
It urged residents to ignore the rumour and warned individuals spreading what it described as false information to desist.
The government also cautioned that it “will not hesitate to bring down the weight of the law on purveyors of falsehood, particularly on the social media space.”
The clarification follows speculation on social media alleging that the state government intended to move the College of Health Sciences from the NDU campus in Amassoma.
The government insisted there was no such plan and reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening medical education in the state.
