…Tasks Varsity Councils on Accountability, Private Investment, Swears in Newly appointed Auditor-General
Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, has approved a new salary structure for academic staff of the state’s four universities with effect from August 2026, while the new structure for non-academic staff of the universities and workers in other state-owned tertiary institutions will take effect from September.
The Governor disclosed this on Tuesday in Asaba during the swearing-in of the newly appointed Auditor-General of Delta State, Mr. Emasogbe Matthew Oghene, and the inauguration of the Governing Councils of the University of Delta, Agbor; Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba; and Southern Delta University, Ozoro.
Oborevwori said the four state-owned universities had expanded their academic programmes to include professional courses such as Medicine, Law, Nursing and Accounting, while student enrolment had risen from about 50,000 in 2023 to more than 100,000 in 2026.
He also noted that the academic calendars of the institutions had remained uninterrupted by staff strikes or student unrest for 17 years, describing the development as an indication of stability in the state’s tertiary education system.
The Governor described Delta as an emerging education hub in Nigeria and said his administration remained committed to repositioning the state-owned universities as centres of excellence.
He charged the newly inaugurated Governing Councils, as the highest policy-making bodies of the institutions, to strengthen corporate governance, improve efficiency and promote sustainable growth.
According to him, the councils must ensure regular meetings, collective responsibility, transparency and accountability, while operating strictly within the laws establishing their respective institutions.
Oborevwori also directed the councils to maintain zero tolerance for sexual harassment, examination malpractice, cultism, favouritism and corruption, urging them to enforce appropriate disciplinary measures whenever regulations were breached.
The Governor said the state government would continue to support tertiary education within the limits of available resources, but stressed that universities could not depend entirely on government funding.
“It is unrealistic and unsustainable for a university to rely solely on government funding,” he said.
He therefore urged the councils to devote attention and resources to marketing their institutions and attracting private-sector investments.
As part of efforts to improve student accommodation, Oborevwori 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 approval amounts to 18 hostels across the institutions.
He urged the councils to build on the progress already recorded and make the institutions more competitive nationally and internationally.
The Governor also charged the newly appointed Auditor-General, Mr. Emasogbe Matthew Oghene, to discharge his responsibilities with transparency, courage, professionalism and fairness.
He cautioned against political witch-hunting and deliberate cover-ups in the discharge of the office.
Responding on behalf of the appointees, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Dennis Osadebay University, Prof. Patrick Muoboghare, expressed appreciation to the Governor for the appointments.
Muoboghare called for the establishment of a Higher Education Endowment Fund to provide sustainable funding for tertiary institutions and strengthen their capacity to compete with universities globally.
He also urged eminent Deltans and other Nigerians to partner with the government by investing in student hostels, staff accommodation, lecture halls and faculty buildings.
According to him, the government alone could not provide all the infrastructure required to meet the growing needs of the universities.
The newly inaugurated councils comprise academics, professionals and public servants.
Prof. Victor Peretomode chairs the Governing Council of the University of Delta, Agbor; Prof. Patrick Muoboghare chairs that of Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba; while Chief Godson Echegile chairs the Governing Council of Southern Delta University, Ozoro.
The three councils were formally constituted by the Delta State Government in August.
