Delta State governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, said he has approved a new salary structure for academic workers of the four State-owned universities effective from August, while that of non-academic staff and other tertiary institutions would take effect from this month.
Hire Grant Writers
He spoke in Asaba at the swearing-in of the newly appointed Auditor-General of the State, Mr. Emasogbe Oghene, and the inauguration of the Governing Councils of the University of Delta, Agbor; Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba; and Southern Delta University, Ozoro.
He said the four state-owned universities now offer professional courses, including medicine, law, nursing and accounting.
He added that student enrolment had risen from about 50,000 in 2023 to more than 100,000 in 2026.
The enrolment figure has also been reported by the State government in recent education-sector briefings.
Oborevwori noted that the academic calendar of the universities had not been disrupted by workers strike or student unrest in 17 years, describing the development as evidence of the State government’s commitment to stable academic activities.
He described the State as an emerging education hub in Nigeria, saying his administration is committed to repositioning the state-owned universities as centres of excellence.
He urged the newly inaugurated councils to pursue policies that would strengthen corporate governance, improve institutional efficiency and position the universities for sustainable growth.
He said the councils, as the highest policy-making bodies of the institutions, must ensure regular meetings, collective responsibility, transparency and accountability, while ensuring that the universities operated in accordance with their enabling laws.
Oborevwori tasked the councils to maintain zero tolerance for sexual harassment, examination malpractice, cultism, favouritism and corruption, urging them to apply disciplinary measures whenever rules were breached.
Try Payroll Software
He said the state government would continue to support tertiary education within the limits of available resources, noting: “It is unrealistic and unsustainable for a university to rely solely on government funding.”
Urging the councils to devote substantial time and resources to marketing their institutions and attracting private-sector investments, he said his administration had continued to invest heavily in infrastructure and staff welfare.
He disclosed that he had approved the construction of two hostels for each of the nine state-owned tertiary institutions, with each hostel designed to accommodate 480 students.
The governor advised the councils to build on the progress recorded and make the institutions more competitive nationally and internationally.
He charged Mr. Oghene to discharge his duties with transparency, courage, professionalism and fairness, warning against political witch-hunting and deliberate cover-up.
Responding on behalf of the appointees, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Dennis Osadebay University, Prof. Patrick Muoboghare, thanked Governor Oborevwori for appointing him and other members of the council.
He called for the establishment of a Higher Education Endowment Fund to provide sustainable funding for tertiary institutions to enable them compete favourably with their counterparts globally.
He also challenged eminent ‘Deltans’ and Nigerians to partner with government by investing in student hostels, staff accommodation, lecture halls and faculty buildings, stressing that government alone could not provide all the infrastructure required to develop the universities.
Read Political News
The newly inaugurated councils comprise distinguished academics, professionals and public servants. Prof. Victor Peretomode chairs the University of Delta Governing Council, Prof. Patrick Muoboghare chairs that of Dennis Osadebay University, while Chief Godson Echegile chairs the Southern Delta University council. The three councils had been formally constituted by the state government in August.