ASABA — Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, has approved a new salary structure for academic staff of the state’s four government-owned universities, with the new pay scale taking effect from August 2026. Non-academic staff and workers at other tertiary institutions in the state will see their adjusted salaries kick in from September.
The governor made the announcement in Asaba on Tuesday during the swearing-in of the newly appointed Auditor-General of the state, Mr Emasogbe Matthew Oghene, alongside the inauguration of Governing Councils for three state universities: the University of Delta, Agbor; Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba; and Southern Delta University, Ozoro.
Oborevwori said the four state-owned universities now run professional courses including medicine, law, nursing and accounting, and revealed that student enrolment had jumped from roughly 50,000 in 2023 to over 100,000 this year. He added that the institutions had gone 17 years without a disruption to academic calendars from strikes or student unrest, calling it proof of his administration’s commitment to stability in the sector.
Describing Delta as an emerging education hub in Nigeria, the governor charged the newly inaugurated councils to strengthen corporate governance, improve institutional efficiency, and pursue sustainable growth. He urged them to hold regular meetings, maintain transparency and accountability, and operate strictly within the universities’ enabling laws.
He also directed the councils to enforce zero tolerance for sexual harassment, examination malpractice, cultism, favouritism and corruption, warning that disciplinary measures would apply wherever rules were broken.
On funding, Oborevwori stressed that government support alone could not sustain the universities. “It is unrealistic and unsustainable for a university to rely solely on government funding,” he said, urging the councils to actively market their institutions and attract private-sector investment.
The governor disclosed that his administration had approved the construction of two new hostels for each of the state’s nine tertiary institutions, with each hostel to house 480 students, as part of continued investment in infrastructure and staff welfare.
He also used the occasion to charge the new Auditor-General, Oghene, to carry out his duties with transparency, courage, professionalism and fairness, cautioning against political witch-hunting and cover-ups.
Responding on behalf of the appointees, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Dennis Osadebay University Governing Council, Prof. Patrick Muoboghare, thanked the governor for the appointments and called for the creation of a Higher Education Endowment Fund to guarantee sustainable financing for tertiary institutions. He also appealed to prominent Deltans and Nigerians to invest in student hostels, staff accommodation, lecture halls and faculty buildings, noting that government could not shoulder the full infrastructure burden alone.
The newly constituted councils, formally set up in August, are chaired by Prof. Victor Peretomode (University of Delta), Prof. Patrick Muoboghare (Dennis Osadebay University), and Chief Godson Echegile (Southern Delta University).
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