Feature
Transforming DELSU: Prof. Asagba’s Bold Reforms Reshape Delta State University Under A Year
By Faith Ebireri
In just 11 months and few days since assuming office on 1st, December 2024, as the eighth substantive Vice-Chancellor of Delta State University, Abraka, Prof. Asagba Prof. Samuel Ogheneovo Asagba has ignited a renaissance at Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, turning visionary mandates into tangible progress through relentless dedication and strategic reforms.
The devoted and resilient Vice-Chancellor has prioritized institutional expansion and modernization, establishing two groundbreaking faculties to meet emerging academic demands. The Faculty of Health Sciences now encompasses Pharmacology, Nursing, Public Health, Medical Laboratory Sciences, Physiotherapy, and Optometry, while the Faculty of Environmental Sciences resuscitated from the defunct Asaba campus includes Surveying, Estate Management, Geography and Regional Planning, Architecture and Building programs.
Further unbundling initiatives have elevated specialized disciplines: Computer Science has evolved into the stand-alone Faculty of Computing, and the Department of Mass Communication has been separated from the Faculty of Social Sciences to form the new Faculty of Communication and Media Studies. This faculty now offers diverse programs such as Public Relations, Advertising, Mass Communication, Film and Multimedia Studies, Broadcasting, Journalism and Media Studies.
Prof. Asagba’s achievements extend to creating three new faculties overall Environmental Sciences, Computing, and Allied Health Sciences fostering a more dynamic and interdisciplinary academic environment.
Infrastructure development stands as a cornerstone of his administration. Key projects include the construction of an access road linking the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences (BMS) and the Faculty of Arts. The ongoing construction of the Faculty of Agriculture building addresses long-standing challenges; since relocating from Asaba, the faculty has relied on the old College of Education structure. “We have started the Faculty of Agriculture structure,” Prof. Asagba noted. “As more money comes in, I hope to finish it within two months it’s a complex of two or three story building.”
Other vital upgrades include the reconstruction of an abandoned 500-capacity lecture theatre, renovation of the 750-capacity Lecture Halls A, B, C, and D, and refurbishment of the old Faculty of Pharmacy building. At the Faculty of Clinical Sciences in Oghara, lecture halls have been renovated alongside the installation of fibre optic internet and a robust 24-hour server room to enhance research connectivity.
Power reliability has been strengthened at the ICT centre in Site II with an upgraded server room featuring a 15KVA inverter and 32 panels for constant supply. Additionally, procurement of office equipment and furniture for the current accreditation exercise, ensuring seamless operations across lecture halls and administrative offices.
Ask any DELSU student today and the answer is unanimous, Prof. Asagba is not just the Vice-Chancellor, he is “our” VC. Operating an open-door policy and constant engagement with students.
For the first time in years, the Student Union Government (SUG) is not a complaint box, it is a priority inbox. “It’s bittersweet to be graduating,” says the Senate President, of the Student Union Government (SUG). “But I leave with pride, having served under an administration that rewrote the rules of possibility.”
“From the Vice-Chancellor’s Award of ₦100,000 cash to the overall best graduating student, to the new VC Prize for the highest CGPA in every faculty, Prof. Asagba has made academic excellence tangible. This isn’t just a legacy, it’s a revival. Students are trading ‘school na scam’ for ‘school na success.’ Studying again, not for certificates, but for certainty knowing hard work here is seen, rewarded, and remembered.”
Then the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Leadership Summit, with over 1,200 delegates accommodated in the hostels, and attended the event in DELSU Auditorium. Prof. Samuel remains welcoming, student-friendly and visionary-driven.
Under Prof. Asagba’s hard-working leadership, DELSU is not merely reforming it is redefining excellence in Nigerian higher education, positioning the university for sustained growth and global relevance. The numbers tell the rest as DELSU’s national ranking jumped 12 spots in the 2025 NUC ratings.