By Odita Sunday
Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, has approved a new salary structure for academic staff of the state’s four universities, with the new pay taking effect from August 2026.
The governor also approved the implementation of the new salary structure for non-academic staff of the universities and workers in other state-owned tertiary institutions from September 2026.
Oborevwori announced the development on Tuesday in Asaba during the swearing-in of the newly appointed Auditor-General of the 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.
The governor said the decision was part of his administration’s efforts to improve staff welfare and strengthen the state’s tertiary education system.
He said the four state-owned universities had expanded their academic offerings to include professional courses such as medicine, law, nursing and accounting, while student enrolment had increased from about 50,000 in 2023 to more than 100,000 in 2026.
Oborevwori also said the universities had maintained uninterrupted academic calendars, without staff strikes or student unrest, for 17 years.
Describing Delta as an emerging education hub in Nigeria, the governor said his administration was committed to repositioning the state-owned universities as centres of excellence and urged the newly inaugurated governing councils to improve corporate governance, institutional efficiency and sustainable growth.
He tasked the councils, which are the highest policy-making bodies of the institutions, with ensuring regular meetings, collective responsibility, transparency and accountability, while operating within the laws establishing the universities.
The governor also directed the councils to maintain zero tolerance for sexual harassment, examination malpractice, cultism, favouritism and corruption, urging them to apply appropriate disciplinary measures whenever rules were violated.
On funding, Oborevwori said government alone could not sustainably finance the growing needs of universities.
“It is unrealistic and unsustainable for a university to rely solely on government funding,” he said.
He therefore urged the governing councils to devote more attention to marketing their institutions and attracting private-sector investments to complement government funding.
The governor said his administration had continued to invest in infrastructure and staff welfare, disclosing that he had approved the construction of two hostels for each of the nine state-owned tertiary institutions.
According to him, each hostel is designed to accommodate 480 students.
Oborevwori urged the councils to build on the progress recorded by the institutions and make them more competitive nationally and internationally.
He also charged the newly appointed Auditor-General of Delta State, Mr Emasogbe Matthew Oghene, to discharge his responsibilities with transparency, courage, professionalism and fairness.
The governor cautioned him against political witch-hunting and deliberate cover-up in the discharge of his duties.
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 the appointments.
Muoboghare called for the establishment of a Higher Education Endowment Fund to provide sustainable funding for tertiary institutions and enable them to compete 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, noting that government alone could not provide all the infrastructure needed by the universities.
The newly inaugurated councils are chaired by Prof. Victor Peretomode for the University of Delta, Agbor; Prof. Patrick Muoboghare for Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba; and Chief Godson Echegile for Southern Delta University, Ozoro.
The three councils were formally constituted by the state government in August.
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