OBOREVWORI’S EDUCATIONAL INVESTMENTS: Universities As Engines of Job Creation And Economic Growth

 

Last weekend, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori commissioned several landmark projects at the University of Delta (UNIDEL), Agbor, particularly at the Owa-Alero Campus. These included state-of-the-art facilities such as the Faculty of Management and Social Sciences Complex, the Faculty of Environmental Sciences Complex, and the Faculty of Engineering Lecture Hall, Library, and Workshops. The Governor described the occasion as a “harvest of investments in higher education,” underscoring his administration’s dedication to providing modern learning environments that promote academic excellence, innovation, and practical skills development. He urged students to safeguard and maximize these resources, viewing such infrastructure as a direct investment in human capital and long-term societal advancement.

The event, attended by dignitaries including former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, highlighted the continuity of governance in Delta State - from the university’s establishment to its ongoing expansion. Yet, amid the celebrations, opposition voices raised concerns, questioning the priority of building and upgrading educational institutions in the face of pressing economic needs. Critics argued that government should focus more directly on job creation rather than on “monuments” of learning, suggesting a disconnect between educational investments and immediate employment opportunities.

This line of criticism, while reflecting genuine worries about economic priorities, fundamentally misses several key realities. First, universities are powerful engines of direct and indirect employment. The establishment and expansion of institutions like the University of Delta inevitably generate thousands of jobs. Each new faculty, lecture hall, library, and workshop requires staffing across a wide spectrum - academic lecturers and professors, researchers, administrative personnel, technical support staff, librarians, laboratory technicians, security teams, maintenance workers, and ancillary roles. In Delta State alone, recent years have seen substantial recruitment drives, including hundreds of new academic and non-academic positions to support growing tertiary institutions.

Globally, universities consistently rank among the largest employers in their regions and communities. They provide stable, skilled employment that supports families, stimulates local economies through salaries and spending, and fosters ancillary businesses through construction contracts, supply chains, and student-related services. Beyond immediate hires, these institutions produce graduates equipped with the knowledge and skills to innovate, start enterprises, and fill high-demand roles in the broader workforce - addressing unemployment structurally over time.

Universities also attract students from across the State and beyond, boosting local commerce in housing, transportation, food services, and retail. They enable research and innovation that can lead to partnerships with industry, spin-off businesses, and technology transfer. Just as good roads, reliable power supply, and efficient ports stimulate trade and investment, quality educational infrastructure creates an enabling environment for entrepreneurship, skills acquisition, and private-sector growth. Dismissing these developments as unrelated to job creation ignores their proven multiplier effect on economic activity and opportunity generation.

Governor Oborevwori’s commissioning of these projects exemplifies a balanced, forward-looking approach. Far from competing with job creation, educational investment is a form of strategic job creation - one that delivers tangible employment in the short term through construction and staffing while building human capacity and economic ecosystems for sustained prosperity in the long term.

The developments at the University of Delta, Agbor, and other tertiary institutions across the State represent more than infrastructure upgrades; they embody a commitment to interconnected progress. Education, infrastructure, and employment are not opposing priorities but mutually reinforcing pillars of development. As Delta State continues to strengthen its higher education sector under Governor Oborevwori’s leadership, it lays a solid foundation for skilled employment, vibrant economic activity, and a brighter future for its citizens.