ASABA, Nigeria – Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, has formally inaugurated the Governing Councils of the state’s three specialized universities while administering the oath of office to Mr. Emasogbe Matthew Oghene as the state’s new Auditor-General and Administrator-General of the Civil Service, state administrative correspondents confirmed at Unity Hall, Government House in Asaba on Tuesday, September 22, 2026.
The dual ceremony solidifies executive oversight across the state’s public auditing machinery and tertiary education ecosystem, formalizing the leadership councils for the University of Delta in Agbor, Dennis Osadebay University in Anwai-Asaba, and Southern Delta University in Ozoro following their statutory confirmation by the Delta State House of Assembly.
Okay News reports that during his charge to the appointees on Tuesday morning, Governor Oborevwori directed the newly constituted council members to bring their extensive administrative and academic experience to bear on curriculum innovation, sound financial governance, and rigorous institutional oversight.
The governor urged the university administrators to operate strictly within the legal parameters of their enabling statutes, insisting on the highest benchmarks of fairness, transparency, accountability, and collective responsibility to preserve institutional harmony and maintain Delta State’s 17-year record of strike-free academic calendars.
Announcing major state interventions to enhance campus life and workforce productivity, Governor Oborevwori disclosed that his administration has approved the immediate construction of two 480-capacity modern hostel blocks for each of the state’s nine tertiary institutions, providing an aggregate of 18 newly built residential facilities designed to alleviate student accommodation deficits.
The governor further unveiled an approved upward review of salary structures for both academic and non-academic personnel across all state-owned tertiary institutions, emphasizing that improved remuneration remains essential to retaining premier teaching talent and sustaining academic competitiveness.
Governor Oborevwori noted that deliberate investments by the state government have elevated Delta into an emerging education hub in the West African sub-region, with aggregate undergraduate enrolment in state-owned universities expanding from approximately 50,000 students in 2023 to over 100,000 scholars in 2026 across accredited disciplines in medicine, law, engineering, nursing, and accounting.
He challenged the pro-chancellors and council chairpersons to look beyond statutory government allocations by designing sustainable endowment frameworks, commercial research ventures, and private sector partnerships that attract domestic and international investments into campus infrastructure.
Turning to the newly sworn-in Auditor-General, Mr. Oghene, the governor emphasized that the institutional integrity of the state’s public financial management rests heavily on independent, fearless, and professional auditing, charging him to uphold absolute transparency and avoid partisan witch-hunting or deliberate administrative cover-ups in the discharge of his statutory mandate.
Speaking on behalf of the inaugurated council chairmen and appointees, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Dennis Osadebay University, Professor Patrick Muoboghare, expressed gratitude to the state government, assuring that the governing councils would implement rigorous operational policies to position Delta State universities among the finest centers of learning on the continent.
