Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, says the state government places a premium on education to keep students on track and focused.

Oborevwori stated this when the officials of the National Universities Commission (NUC), led by its Acting Executive Secretary, Chris Maiyaki, paid him a courtesy visit in Government House in Asaba, the Delta State capital, on Monday, August 21, 2023.

The governor, who thanked the NUC for approving three new universities for the state, said the establishment of the new universities was justified, hence the Delta State House of Assembly, then presided over by him, never wasted time in passing the bills.

He said: “When we received the bill for the three universities, we looked at the justifications for three universities and we found out that they had the staff and infrastructure.

“They had subvention, but the students were not there because the NCE programmes were no longer attractive to them.

“Where we had about 900 staff in the then College of Education, Agbor, you could not even find 1,000 students, and what we provide there is enough to run a full-fledged university.

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“The money used in running the college is also the same thing to run Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma where I graduated, and they have over 15,000 students, yet we can’t get even 1,000 at the College of Education, Agbor.

“We didn’t waste time to approve the bill. Moreover, then, we had over 25,000 Delta State candidates that passed JAMB and were qualified for university education, but the universities couldn’t admit more than 5,000.

“So what happens to the remaining 20,000 students? They have to wait for another year again?

“And we said no, it’s a very brilliant idea to upgrade three existing higher institutions into full-fledged universities and we had to pass the bills.

“I must commend NUC for approving the three universities for Delta State. I want to assure you that as a government, we will continue to provide whatever it takes to make the universities great.”

Governor Oborevwori said only a valuable education would help to reduce crime, while pledging his administration’s resolve to ensure adequate staffing and infrastructure provision for the universities.

Oborevwori added: “Delta is peaceful and everywhere is beautiful, but if you see any road that is not good in Delta, just know that it is a federal road.

“We are taking care of our state roads and even intervening in some federal roads like the over 147km Ughelli/Asaba Road dualisation project which I am very sure would be completed by next year.”

Speaking, Maiyaki lauded the Delta State Government for its contributions to sustainable educational development in the state and country.

Maiyaki stated that the visit was coming at a time when the call for the reinvention of higher education system was “getting louder and louder by the day”.

He congratulated the state government for being education-friendly and for being the state with the highest number of state-owned universities in the country.

The Star