The State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, has advocated the repositioning of tertiary institutions in the country to strengthen research and innovation, which according to him are important sources of growth in every sphere of human existence.

Dr. Uduaghan made the call at the Petroleum Training Institute Effurun while declaring open the first Delta State Higher Education Summit.

The Governor who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Professor Amos Utuama SAN, said Higher Institutions should posses the skills and the knowledge required to nurture creative ideas.

He also charged the tertiary institutions to build networks and linkages among the universities, government and private sectors to propel the economic growth of both the State and the Ccountry.

Dr. Uduaghan stated that the creation of the Ministry of Higher Education in Delta State in 2005 was to give adequate attention to tertiary education with the establishment of additional four higher institutions by the immediate past administration.

He said the present administration would continue to make massive investments in the higher education sector and appealed to the tertiary institutions not to only produce graduates but to be more concerned in their international competitiveness.

The Commissioner for Higher Education, Dr. Hope Eghagha, said the purpose of the summit is to bring stakeholders to a forum where views on higher education can be concretized and harmonized with a view to producing a development blue print for the government and the people of Delta State.

Dr. Eghagha added that the vision of the Ministry is to work towards the transformation of the tertiary institutions in the State into institutions of excellence that would produce first class manpower for the needs of the State and the nation.

He urged lecturers in the higher institutions to write books which will be vetted by the faculty and sold in the institutions bookshop as sales of handout is illegal.