Oborevwori Approves New Salary Structure For Delta Tertiary Institution Workers

Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, has approved a new salary structure for academic staff of the state’s four government-owned universities, with implementation backdated to August 2026.

The governor also approved a new salary structure for non-academic staff of the universities and workers in other state-owned tertiary institutions, which will take effect from September 2026.

Oborevwori announced the approvals on Tuesday in Asaba during the swearing-in of the newly appointed Auditor-General of Delta State, 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 development was part of his administration’s efforts to strengthen tertiary education and improve the welfare of workers in the sector.

He said the four state-owned universities now offer professional programmes including medicine, law, nursing and accounting, while student enrolment across the institutions had increased from about 50,000 in 2023 to more than 100,000 in 2026.

Oborevwori also said the institutions had maintained uninterrupted academic calendars, with no staff strikes or student unrest disrupting academic activities in the past 17 years.

He described Delta as an emerging education hub in Nigeria, saying his administration was committed to repositioning the state-owned universities as centres of academic excellence.

The governor tasked the newly inaugurated governing councils with strengthening corporate governance, improving institutional efficiency and positioning the universities for sustainable growth.

He urged the councils, as the highest policy-making bodies of the institutions, to ensure regular meetings, collective responsibility, transparency and accountability, while operating strictly within their enabling laws.

Oborevwori also directed the councils to maintain zero tolerance for sexual harassment, examination malpractice, cultism, favouritism and corruption, stressing the need for appropriate disciplinary measures whenever regulations were violated.

The governor said the state government would continue to support tertiary education within the limits of available resources but warned that government funding alone could not sustain the 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 greater attention to marketing their institutions and attracting private-sector investments to supplement government funding.

Oborevwori 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 of the hostels will have a capacity of 480 students.

He charged the councils to build on the progress already recorded and make the institutions more competitive nationally and internationally.

The governor also charged the new Auditor-General, Emasogbe, to discharge his responsibilities with transparency, courage, professionalism and fairness.

He warned against political witch-hunting and deliberate cover-up in the discharge of the Auditor-General’s duties.

Responding on behalf of the appointees, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Dennis Osadebay University, Prof. Patrick Muoboghare, thanked the governor for appointing him and other members of the governing councils.

Muoboghare called for the establishment of a Higher Education Endowment Fund to provide sustainable funding for tertiary institutions and enhance their competitiveness globally.

He also urged prominent Deltans and other Nigerians to partner with the government by investing in student hostels, staff accommodation, lecture halls and faculty buildings, saying government could not single-handedly provide all the infrastructure required to develop the universities.

The newly inaugurated governing councils comprise academics, professionals and public servants.

Prof. Victor Peretomode chairs the Governing Council of the University of Delta, Prof. Patrick Muoboghare chairs the Dennis Osadebay University council, while Chief Godson Echegile chairs the Southern Delta University council.

The three governing councils were formally constituted by the state government in August.