The Delta State House of Assembly on Wednesday, January 27, 2021, passed the first reading of bills for the establishment of three new universities.
The bills are for the creation of Delta State University of Education, Agbor; Delta State University of Science and Agriculture, Asaba; and Delta State University of Science and Technology, Ozoro.
The first reading on Wednesday was presented by the Deputy Majority Leader of the Assembly, Oboro Preyor, and the motion was unanimously adopted when put to a voice vote by the Speaker, Sheriff Oborevwori.
The motion was then seconded by Pat Ajudua of Oshimili North constituency
The report gathered by EDUCARE NEWS indicated that the second reading of the bills will come up on February 2.
In a related development, the Delta State Commissioner for Higher Education, Patrick Muoboghare explained that the Government’s decision to upgrade three tertiary institutions to universities was to eliminate wasteful expenditure and expand admission spaces for Deltans seeking university education.
He said, “The state government currently funds the monthly wage bills of N457.5 million for the three states colleges of education; Agbor, Mosogar, and Warri with a total staff strength of 1,895 and a student population of only 2,888, while the monthly wage bill for the state’s three polytechnics; Ozoro, Ogwashi-Uku, and Oghara was N342.2 million, and Delta State University, Anwai campus, was N52.3 million.
Muoboghare further reiterated that the low turnout of student in the NCE programme is a result of student’s loss of interest in the programme.
On the issue of admission space into Delta State University, Abraka, the Commissioner noted that, with about five hundred public secondary schools and more than five hundred private secondary schools in the state, turning out SS3 graduates every year, the number of students in the state seeking university admissions every year was high. As such, keeping brilliant children on the waiting list for university admission for too long is dangerous and gives room for a higher crime rate.
“For the 2019/2020 admission, 25,896 candidates chose Delta State University, Abraka, as first-choice. Out of this number, 22,358 qualified, applied for, and wrote the post-UTME examination.
“Only 4,854 could find space after the admissions, leaving the remaining 21,042 candidates stranded and almost hopeless.
“We need to provide for these qualified and ambitious children and this we are doing through the establishment of new universities by upgrading three existing tertiary institutions,”
He also added that the state government hopes to commence academic activities in the new schools in the 2021/2022 academic session once the State Assembly passed the bill establishing them.
At the moment, there are eight universities in Delta state, with two owned by the federal government, while one belongs to the state government, and five are privately owned.
The universities are; Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, Nigeria Maritime University Okerenkoko, (Federal), Delta State University, Abraka (State), Edwin Clark University, Kaigbodo, Michael and Cecilia Ibru University, Novena University, Ogume, Western Delta University, Oghara, and Admiralty University, Ibusa (Private).
