* As varsity graduates 6,401

Sylvester Idowu in Warri 

Delta State Governor, Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, has ordered the prompt initiation of revocation procedures for the abandoned Senate Building project of Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka.

While giving the order at the 17th convocation of the university in Abraka, Saturday, he said the revocation would enable the state government to re-award it to a capable contractor and ensure its swift completion.

The governor’s directive was in response to the Vice- Chancellor, Prof. Samuel Asagba’s request to complete the Senate building, abandoned for over 22 years.

Oborevwori directed the Commissioner for Higher Education, Prof. Nyerowho Tonukari, to ensure the project was revoked to ensure prompt completion.

In line with the tradition of the university, the governor also approved automatic employment for the overall best graduating student of the university, Okwa Favour Oghenemine, a Mathematics graduate from the Faculty of Science with 4.95 CGPA.

Oborevwori congratulated the graduands who had been found worthy in learning and character for the award of various degrees of the great citadel of learning.

The governor commended the university’s Governing Council and management for the impressive growth recorded by the institution over the years.

He had on arrival inaugurated the 1km road linking the Faculty of Basic Medical Science to Faculty of Arts and lauded the university’s Governing Council and management for the various projects executed during the short period.

The Pro -Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council of DELSU, General Alexander Ogomudia (rtd), commended the governor for the assistance he had rendered to the school and called on donor agencies and philanthropic individuals to contribute to the infrastructural growth of the university.

While calling on the state government to fast-track the completion of all ongoing and abandoned projects in the school, he equally reminded graduands of the need to be good ambassadors of the institution in their various endeavours.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Samuel Asagba, had disclosed that 6,401 students were graduating from the 2023/2024 academic session, with a total of 830 postgraduate degrees, comprising 154 Doctor of Philosophy, 438 Master’s degrees and 238 Postgraduate Diploma.

He said the university had attained 100 per cent accreditation of all its programmes, adding that it was recently ranked 20th among over 300 Nigerian universities and third among state-owned universities in the country by the global SciVal Ranking tool of Elsevier.

The vice-chancellor commended Governor Oborevwori for his commitment to the growth and development of the citadel of higher academic learning.

He said the university has completed several projects within the short period of his appointment as the eighth substantive vice-chancellor of the university.

At the convocation, the university conferred the honorary Doctor of Science degrees on foremost entrepreneur and philanthropist, Chief Broderick Uvieoghene Arigbodi; renowned literary scholar, Prof. Tanure Ojaide with Doctor of Letters and outstanding industrialist and philanthropist, Chief Eta Enahoro with honorary Doctor of Business Administration.

The valedictorian, Okwa Favour Oghenemine of the Faculty of Science with 4.95 CGPA, thanked God for their success and expressed appreciation to the vice-chancellor, management and staff of the university for instituting the Students’ Work and Scholarship Schemes, which enabled indigent students to achieve their academic pursuits.

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