Governor Sheriff Oborevwori on Tuesday announced a new salary structure for academic and non-academic staff at the four state-owned universities and other tertiary institutions.

Mr Oborevwori ‌announced this in Asaba while inaugurating the auditor-general, Matthew Oghene, as well as the governing councils of the Universities of Delta, Agbor; Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba; and Southern Delta University, Ozoro.

He said the new salary for academic staff would take effect from August, while that for non-academic staff and other tertiary institutions would take effect from September.

The new councils, constituted in August, had Victor Peretomode as chairman of the University of Delta; Patrick Muoboghare as chairman of Dennis Osadebay University; and Godson Echegile as chairman of Southern Delta University.

The governor said the four universities now offer professional courses, including medicine, law, nursing and accounting. He further said student enrolment in the universities rose from 50,000 in 2023 to over 100,000 in 2026.

Mr Oborevwori also said that the academic calendar of the universities had not been disrupted by staff strikes or student unrest in 17 years. He described the development as evidence of the Delta government’s commitment to stable academic activities.

Mr Oborevwori described the state as “an emerging education hub in Nigeria”. According to him, his administration remains committed to repositioning the state-owned universities as centres of excellence.

He therefore charged the new councils to pursue policies that would strengthen corporate governance, improve institutional efficiency, and position the universities for sustainable growth. He charged the councils, as the highest policy-making bodies of the institutions, to ensure regular meetings, collective responsibility, transparency and accountability.

Mr Oborevwori urged them not to yield to nepotism and parochial sentiment but to display the highest level of integrity in discharging their responsibility to inspire trust and confidence not only in the university community but also in the public.

He said, “The governing councils should ensure that cases of sexual harassment, examination malpractice, partiality, and cultism are not tolerated in our universities. Where instant laws or rules have been breached or circumvented, the council must not hesitate to mete out the necessary disciplinary measures. Equally important is the need to ensure equity, fairness and justice in matters of staff discipline.”

(NAN)