Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, has said the establishment of three new universities remains the highest of his administration\u2019s legacies for the state.
\nThe Governor, who stated this on Saturday at the Founders\u2019 Day Celebration of University of Delta (UNIDEL), Agbor, said the new universities had justified their establishment by bridging the gaps in university admission for the people of Delta.
\nHe said UNIDEL had admitted about 5,219 students since it began academic activities in the 2022\/2023 academic session.
\nOkowa said founders\u2019 day meant a lot to a school as it allowed members of the university community to meet friends and associates to thank those who founded the school and others who had contributed to its growth.
\n\u201cToday\u2019s event is about the success of a purposeful idea aimed at expanding the frontiers of knowledge and institutionalising the deepening of higher education for the advancement of society through research, teaching and learning; the tripod on which tertiary education stands.
\n\u201cToday, the three new universities we established are in session and have helped in narrowing the gap, while at the same time, bringing higher education nearer and cheaper to our people\u201d, he said.
\nThe Governor appealed to the university\u2019s Governing Council and Management to continue on the trajectory of raising the stakes in its determination to grow it to enviable heights.
\n\u201cFor the students, I implore you to exhibit the highest sense of responsibility and patriotism.
\n\u201cThis university should be known for academic excellence, because that way, you can attract goodwill and resources to your university.
\n\u201cThis will attract endowments, scholarship schemes and other benefits from stakeholders and well-meaning members of society eager to leave landmarks and legacies here.
\n\u201cPlease be proud of the opportunity you have been offered to do the right things and carry out the intention, purpose and vision of the founders \u2013 real education for the advancement of society while preparing for a successful and purposeful future\u201d, Okowa said.
\nHe urged the authorities to ensure that students were trained in entrepreneurship studies and engaged in research and consultancy services as a means of generating funding for the university.
\nOn the criticisms trailing the school fees charged in the universities, Okowa appealed to parents and guardians to show understanding, adding that the naira had depreciated over time.
\n\u201cI have heard people complain that the fees are too much, but I know that the total fees paid in this institution and the other two institutions is less than N200,000 per annum.
\n\u201cI am also aware of private universities that charge fees running up to millions per annum. Imagine the plight of an average family with three wards who are qualified for admission to universities.
\n\u201cPeople must understand that the naira has depreciated a lot and the universities must run their affairs.
\n\u201cWe pay the salaries of all the staff and the infrastructure as much as we can but it\u2019s important that the universities are financially strong to enable them run the day-to-day activities of the institution\u201d, he said.
\nHe added, \u201cwe believe that we don\u2019t want to have universities that cannot keep the students in a functional state of learning, so, I appeal to parents to please bear with us as the naira has since depreciated\u201d.
\nIn her speech, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Stella Chiemeke, lauded the vision behind the establishment of the university.
\nShe said at its inception in 2021, UNIDEL commenced academic activities with eight faculties approved by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
\nChiemeke said four of the faculties were domiciled at the main campus in Agbor, while two each were domiciled at Owa-Oyibu and Owa-Alero campuses in Ika North-East Local Government Area of the state.
\nAccording to her, the Faculty of Arts has eight programmes, Faculty of Computing offers four programmes, the Faculty of Education mounts 22 programmes, and the Faculties of Engineering, Environmental Sciences and Science have six, five and 12 programmes, respectively.
\nShe noted that the Faculty of Management and Social Sciences had 12 programmes, and that the Faculty of Law had only one programme.
\nWhile paying tributes to Governor Okowa for floating the three state-owned universities simultaneously, Chiemeke said the institution offered admission to 5,219 students into various academic programmes for 2022\/2023 and 2023\/2024 academic sessions.
\nThe Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor, delivered a lecture titled \u201cNational Growth And Development: Building A Robust Partnership Between The Military And The Ivory Tower For A Better Nigeria\u201d.
\nIrabor said national growth and development were the aspirations of every nation.
\nHe noted that most nations utilised the instruments of state such as the armed forces and educational sectors in achieving such objectives.
\nHe said in Nigeria, the Armed Forces provided the enabling security environment in line with its role as stipulated in the 1999 constitution.
\nHe disclosed that educational institutions across the country had also made remarkable contributions to national growth and development by empowering people with adequate knowledge, requisite skills and values.
\nAccording to the CDS, Nigeria can attain higher national growth and development if the military and the academia work more closely together in a collaborative partnership to harness the immense capacity of both institutions.
\nThe Tide\u2019s source reports that Governor Okowa also inaugurated the new Ika South Local Government Council Legislative Building and the LadyOak Cancer Care Centre built at the Central Hospital Agbor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, has said the establishment of three new universities remains the highest of his administration\u2019s legacies for the state. The Governor, who stated this on Saturday at the Founders\u2019 Day Celebration of University of Delta (UNIDEL), Agbor, said the new universities had justified their establishment by bridging the gaps in university […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266750,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n