The Deputy Governor of Delta State, Sir Monday Onyeme, Ph.D., has described education as the biggest industry in the state.
He made this known in Asaba when he received a courtesy call from the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Aisha Garba, and members of her management team.
According to him, Delta State has continued to make significant investments in the education sector to provide quality education for its citizens.
The Deputy Governor, who welcomed the UBEC delegation, expressed appreciation to the commission for choosing Delta as the venue for the 30th Quarterly Management Meeting.
He said the state was encouraged by UBEC’s positive assessment of its performance, particularly in the areas of technology, infrastructure, access to education funds, and effective utilisation of resources.
He stated that quality education will always be made available to as many citizens as possible.
“We want to assure you that Delta State will continue to improve our standards of education. We will continue to do our best to ensure that we give education that is not bitter to as many citizens as possible,” he said.
“Delta State is known for exporting education to all nooks and crannies of the world; there is no place you will go that you will not see teachers at all levels, from primary up to tertiary level, that are Deltans,” he said.
The Deputy Governor declared that education remained the state’s biggest industry, adding that the government was proud of the contribution of its people to the development of education globally.
He disclosed that the state had implemented about 90 per cent of its 2025 programme, while the 2026 matching grant had already been paid.
Sir Onyeme expressed optimism that the development would further strengthen the relationship between Delta State and UBEC and encourage more support for the state’s education sector.
He assured the UBEC delegation of the state government’s hospitality throughout their stay, urging members of the team to feel free to approach his office with any concerns or needs.
Speaking earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Ayesha Haruna, commended the Delta State Government for its commitment to the development of basic education, particularly its use of technology to improve teacher attendance and accountability.
The Executive Secretary said Delta State was selected to host the meeting because of the positive reports about the state’s achievements and commitment to improving basic education.
She disclosed that the commission was particularly impressed by the state’s application of technology in education, including the Attend 360 platform, a technology-based teacher attendance management system designed to strengthen teacher attendance and accountability.
According to her: “You can build as many schools as you want, but as long as there is no teacher, good teacher, in the classroom, learning would not take place.”
Haruna expressed confidence that continued investment in basic education would consolidate the progress already recorded by the state and further improve access, quality, and learning outcomes.
