By Lucky UtoÂ
The Southern Delta University (SDU), Ozoro, Delta State is set to hold its maiden convocation ceremony since the establishment of the school in 2021 by the former Governor of Delta State Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Jacob Snapps Oboreh disclosed this on Tuesday February 24, 2026 while addressing journalists during a press conference at the institution’s auditorium.
The University which was formerly known as Delta State University of Science and Technology was established alongside the University of Agbor and Dennis Osadebey University, Asaba in October 2021.
According to him, when the three universities were established by the Delta government, many Nigerians including some Deltans felt it will be practically impossible for the Delta State government to run or manage four own universities successfully, noting that as time goes on they were proven wrong.
Prof. Oboreh opined that, “the four Universities in Delta State are well positioned and they have continued to thrive better than some states that own only one university. The evidences are very clear when you visit any of the Universities. Delta State University, Abraka been the first state own university has continued to stand tall among Nigeria universities and the three newly established universities are not lagging behind either”.
He insisted that “in our own case we have thrived tremendously in the areas of academics, research and development, we have conducted ground breaking researches in various faculties of the university; for example in our Faculty of Engineering, we have conducted research in areas that have never been researched into in the past. They conducted a research of turning waste into power generation, this research has been tested successfully in the faculty”.
He further said that in the area of academic excellence, the students of the university have attended a research competition organized by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and they came out first among 52 universities in Nigeria, adding that in the faculty of Computing the students have also been able to develop software to solve real life situations via Artificial Intelligence System, with software that solves local problems in accounting information system, management information system.
He also stated that the students also design structures that meet up with international standard, that look as if you are in France, Italy or Time Square in Brooklyn, New York, acknowledging that. he is highly impressed with the results achieved so far by the university.
“It might interest you to know that in 2021, the university started with just 6 Faculties – Faculty of Agriculture, Administration, Computing, Science, Environmental Science and faculty of Engineering with 45 programmes duly approved and accredited by National University Commission (NUC).
“Within a short time we have grown; today the university has a 11 Faculties housing 89 programmes”.
He added that “Our students population when we started was just two thousand, two hundred and twenty five; as of today, it has increased to Seven thousand, five hundred which means we can admit seven thousand, five hundred students every year. When we start admitting such numbers, that means in 4 years we can admit Thirty thousand student Hopefully, by the year 2028, the university will have Thirty thousand as estimated students population”.
Prof. Oboreh appreciates Governor Sheriff Oborevwori for the universities, stating that the only one university would not have been able to admit the numbers of students the four universities are having now.
He stated further that the University can stand tall in terms of qualified staffs, and that the state government has given them the opportunities and freedom to employ qualified staffs into the university, that there are a lot of PHD holders, Professors drawn from various universities across Nigeria because the University has better conditions of service.
On positioning the university properly in terms of infrastructure, Prof. Oboreh asserted that the management of the university has continue to restructure the university environment in terms of infrastructure development, that so far within their capacity the university has constructed houses to accommodate principal staffs.
According to him, they also constructed a storey building with five laboratory workshops and studio for Faculty of Environment Science, a two storey building complex for the Faculty of Computer with 126 staff offices, two lecture halls and convenience in each staff offices, they also constructed two storey building for the faculty of Science with 126 offices, two lecture hall and convenience in each offices among other many projects.
