A former Commissioner for Higher Education and Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba, Prof. Patrick Muoboghare, has called for the establishment of a Higher Education Endowment Fund to provide sustainable funding for tertiary institutions in Delta State.
Muoboghare made the call on Tuesday while responding on behalf of members of the newly inaugurated governing councils of three state-owned universities during their inauguration by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori in Asaba.
He also urged eminent Deltans and other Nigerians to partner with the state 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 institutions.
Muoboghare thanked Oborevwori for appointing him and other members of the councils, saying the endowment fund would help the universities compete favourably with their counterparts globally.
Earlier, Governor Oborevwori announced the approval of a new salary structure for academic staff of the state’s four universities, effective August 2026, while the new structure for non-academic staff and workers in other tertiary institutions would take effect from September.
The governor spoke 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 enrolment across the state-owned universities had increased from about 50,000 students in 2023 to more than 100,000 in 2026, noting that the institutions now offer professional programmes including medicine, law, nursing and accounting.
He also said the academic calendar of the universities had remained uninterrupted by staff strikes or student unrest for 17 years.
Describing Delta as an emerging education hub in Nigeria, the governor charged the new governing councils to strengthen corporate governance, improve institutional efficiency and position the universities for sustainable growth.
He urged the councils to uphold transparency and accountability, comply with their enabling laws and maintain zero tolerance for sexual harassment, examination malpractice, cultism, favouritism and corruption.
Oborevwori said government would continue to support tertiary education within available resources but stressed that universities could not rely solely on government funding.
“It is unrealistic and unsustainable for a university to rely solely on government funding,” he said, urging the councils to market their institutions and attract private-sector investments.
The governor also 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.
He urged the councils to build on the progress recorded and make the institutions more competitive nationally and internationally.
Oborevwori also charged the new Auditor-General, Emasogbe Matthew Oghene, to discharge his duties with transparency, courage, professionalism and fairness, warning against political witch-hunting and deliberate cover-up.
Prof. Victor Peretomode chairs the Governing Council of the University of Delta, while Chief Godson Echegile chairs the Southern Delta University council. The three councils were formally constituted by the state government in August.
