[dropcap]D[/dropcap]elta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, Monday, said the State Government has placed premium on education to keep students of the State on track and focused. Governor Oborevwori stated this when he received on courtesy visit officials of the National University Commission, NUC led by its Acting Executive Secretary, Mr. Chris Maiyaki in his office in Government House, Asaba.
Governor Oborevwori, 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.
“Where we had about 900 staff in the then College of Education, Agbor, you cannot even find 1,000 students and what we provide there is enough to run a full-fledged university.
“So we didn’t waste time to approve the bill. Moreover, that period we had over 25,000 Deltans that passed JAMB and were qualified for university education but the universities couldn’t admit more than 5,000.
“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.
“Here in Delta we value education because by the time you train your children, they will not be involved in crime, they will be focused in life.
“Delta is peaceful and everywhere is beautiful but if you see any road that is not good in Delta State just know that it is a federal road.
Earlier in his remarks, the Acting Executive Secretary of NUC, Mr. Chris Maiyaki, commended Delta State Government for its contributions to sustainable educational development in the state and country.
He congratulated the Delta State Government for being very educational friendly government and for being the state with the highest number of state-owned universities in the country.
“It was during your time that having appended your signature that we accepted and granted licences to the University of Delta, Agbor, the Delta State University of Science and Technology, Ozoro and the Dennis Osadebay University, Anwai-Asaba,” he said.
He said the visit was crucial and pivotal because the result will enable the University admit students into the programmes visited.
“We carry out that vital assignment through the monitoring of implementation of minimum standards, licence of private universities, conducting resource verification and accreditation of courses among others.
“We are here to carry out resource verification of academic programmes at the University of Delta, Agbor, to ascertain the quality and the quantity of the physical facilities, the human resources, the ICT deployments, the learning resources in hard and soft copies and of course the atmosphere for learning.
“This visit is crucial and very pivotal because the result emanating from this visit will enable the University admit students into the programmes we have visited.
“We like to thank you for the sustainable funding and support that you have extended to this University and indeed all other institutions of higher learning in Delta.
“Delta State is the only state that has four state universities in the country and this goes to show the importance that you attach to university education in Delta State.
“Delta is blessed and endowed with material, human and natural resources and having four state universities underpins the premium that you attach to university education.
“Your continued support to these universities would be a legacy to your government and a collective benefit to be shared for the posterity of Delta State.
“We are here to conduct resource verification for Basic Medical Sciences and Medicine, Law, Education, Agricultral Economics and if you look at the profile of these programmes, they are very capital intensive.
