Leo Tolstoy, the notable Russian writer and humanist understood the true meaning of change. So, he spent a considerable number of his active years on earth preaching about a better society and the need for people, especially those in high places, to be conscious of tiny changes that positively affect lives. Paul Adingwupu, an IT expert and a prominent politician in Delta State may not have the literary prowess, global popularity and influence of Tolstoy, but he is obviously on the same page with the remarkable Russian writer as far as changing the world for the better is concerned.
Presentation of Cheque to FELD Co-operative for disbursement of interest free micro-credit loans to beneficiaries in 2021
For nearly 20 years now, Adingwupu has been spending his time and resources building bridges, creating awareness among young people, empowering citizens across age and gender and upholding the dignity of labour as an essential part of life and living. But it is obvious that this politician from Delta State would not have done this much without the Foundation for Effective Leadership and Development, FELD, the engine room that drives his extraordinary compassion path and revolutionary change agenda.
In a soul-lifting feature story in elegant prose, authored by Godfrey Osakwe, Project Director of FELD to mark the 10th anniversary of this non-government organisation many years ago, he took a trip down memory lane and recalled how it all began. “Just like a drop with ripples in placid water, the Foundation for Effective Leadership and Development, FELD, an idea birthed 10 years ago continues to blossom in its trail of positive impact on the lives of people and communities in Nigeria. The foundation which was established in 2011 as a non-government organisation, primarily to pursue the vision of sustainable development based on good governance in all facets of life, has since its commencement of operations, continues to build human capital by strengthening communities with remarkable impact with exponential growth.” According to Osakwe, within the years under review, FELD has remained persistent in spreading its message of inclusion, hope and desire to better the lives of people regardless of the economic challenges of the day. This, in the Project Director’s view has been demonstrated through the organisation’s multifaceted approach to empowerment, educational advancement programmes and a unique inclusive scheme that brings everyone on board, irrespective of age, gender, faith or social status. So, the last 15 years or so, remain a glorious period for the Foundation for Effective Leadership, FELD, not only for its giant strides but also for altruistically touching lives, engraving its name in the consciousness of people and changing the narrative in a remarkable way in Delta State.
And for Adingwupu, a good family man who knows that social change stretches beyond what the society can offer the most vulnerable and next generation in terms of financial support or otherwise, he also appreciates the fact that the room for improvement is the biggest room. So, regularly, he goes out of his way to put a smile on faces of people as a way of bringing about the much-desired change he consciously seeks as a politician who vigorously works for the good of all.
However, it is important to add that this community leader and politician, even at the risk of sounding repetitive, actually believes in the family unit, and that is why he has taken it upon himself to strengthen and encourage struggling families especially in Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency where he hails from. But outside his immediate constituency, some families can also attest to his courage and steadfastness with regard to lifting people in need. And as far as he is concerned, families that are weak and without the much-needed safety net need a helping hand; they deserve to be protected from their vulnerability. So, Adingwupu takes the extra trouble to cater for such categories of people by providing scholarship schemes, engendering economic empowerment, driving intellectual growth, giving access to good health care which he believes is a right, and providing other social services for the common good.
Nevertheless, one other good thing about Hon. Adingwupu and his philanthropic gesture is that he does not seek the klieg light in spite of all he does. As they say in television production, he is simply a behind the scenes man, a producer who just wants things done without taking the credit, and this has remained his guiding principles over the years. And it is easy to measure his success and acceptability especially from the perspective of the beneficiaries whose testimonies abound. “Hon. Adingwupu is not your everyday politician who celebrates and announces every kindness even when it is not necessary. And I am very proud of him for always sparing a thought for the poor and other people in most need of help. I am very sure that no government can sufficiently address the needs of its citizens but as they say, little drops of water make a mighty ocean. I am happy to announce that this uncommon politician’s drops of water in the lives of many people, regardless of political affiliation, are making a huge difference. That is the way to go especially with the challenges facing many people in Nigeria today,” a grateful beneficiary and one of his constituents revealed.
At a time like this, it is gratifying to also note that this unusual politician is determined to make many dreams come true. This is a daunting task, no doubt, but the activities of FELD should encourage other public-spirited individuals to do more with their time and resources.
No doubt, Hon. Adingwupu has set the bar high in terms of what individuals can do to touch society and change lives from their different parts of the world.
Some persons in Delta State are yet to come to terms on how Sheriff Oborevwori emerged as Governor of Delta State. While some others believe it is by divine orchestration, majority believe it was by deft political engineering.
DELTA FRESH VISION has noted that over the years, it had become customary that for someone to become Governor in Delta State he must have undergone executive tutelage as a Commissioner and SSG. At a point it was felt the college of SSG is a training ground for future governors of Delta State. Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan and Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa both passed through this route to become Governor.
It is somewhat a miracle that Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori was the first Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly to become the Governor of the State, against established political traditions.
Before him no one thought it was a possibility and there was no convention to contemplate its possibility. But it happened.
Beyond the facade, we must recall that Sheriff Oborevwori became Speaker as a first time legislator in the midst of several ranking Legislators on the 11th May, 2017. Although he was not the pioneer first time Legislator to become a Speaker; Rt. Hon. Peter Onwusanya owns that distinction, Sheriff Oborevwori was however, the first Speaker to transmute from one administration to another. He served two years in Dr. Okowa’s first term and also served as Speaker throughout Dr. Okowa’s second term, making him the longest serving Speaker in the history of Delta State.
In spite of the high turn over of Speakers in Delta State it was a rare feat for Oborevwori to have survived speakership for 6 years, in the midst of Legislators who were ever ready to “devour” any Speaker that does not carry them along. It speaks volumes of Oborevwori’s team spirit which he carried effortlessly to the Executive.
Upon resumption as Governor on the 29th of May, 2023, not a few Deltans thought that Sheriff Oborevwori was going to learn on the job. Some others did not give him a chance of high performance. Some who described Oborevwori with the epithet of “Street credibility” even did so as a euphemism for lack of Governorship experience.
18 months down the line, Governor Oborevwori has proved all skeptics wrong.
One early imprimatur of Oborevwori’s bold venture was his decision to engage the construction giant, Julius Berger to construct three bridges, Cloverleaf and road expansion projects in Warri/Effurun metropolis at an ambitious cost of N78Billion Naira. It was the first time any Governor of Delta State would use Julius Berger for construction job in the State. It signaled his administration’s resolve to admit only quality jobs as a testament of his ingenious M.O.R.E Agenda.
This singular decision flustered the APC and some of Oborevwori’s most vitriolic political opponents.
Some apologists even pooh poohed the Julius Berger projects, predicting that it would not see the light of day. Today, a visit to Warri and Effurun construction sites by Julius Berger would reveal a sprawling evidence of architectural wonder, far away from the staleness of the oil city to a glistering spectacle of beauty and resplendence.
Governor Oborevwori also made it clearly, in the early months of his administration that Delta State was not going to be an abode for shoddy jobs that does not conform with government’s specifications. He proclaimed a zero tolerance for cutting of corners, thereby setting the template for projects that would stand the test of time.
One other area that has confounded endemic skeptics and professional critics is Oborevwori’s resolve to run a government without borrowing. As ambitious as the 2025 State budget of N979 Billion there is no budget deficit, meaning that the budget will be financed from the Federation Accounts receipts as well as the State’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR)
No wonder that Delta State under Governor Oborevwori’s watch, has been rated among top 10 State’s in the 2024 Governance Accountability and Transparency Index (G.A.T.I) by the Guild of Online Media Editors and Publishers (G.O.M.E.P), Nigeria.
Many Deltans do not know that Governor Oborevwori has taken it as a deliberate policy to save a percentage of all monies received from the Federation Account and IGR, which he plans to bequeath to his successor in years to come as a financial legacy.
We have a Governor who is not profligate in spending. His judicious use of State resources has become so palpable that even the blind can see it, the deaf can hear it and the lame can walk it.
Governor Oborevwori is prepared to put the State resources to judicious use for the development of Delta State and the upliftment of the living standards of Deltans and especially to take Delta youths and women off the streets through the establishment of empowerment schemes like D-CARES and MORE GRANT SCHEME and the WESAP.
As far as government business is concerned even the most inveterate cynic knows that it is not business as usual.
The plugging of areas of waste and leakages have become the hallmark of the Oborevwori administration.
The character of the Oborevwori administration can be gleaned by the decision of the Governor to do an infrastructure allocation of N2 Billion for each of the 25 Local Government Areas in the State in the 2025 State budget. This is a reflection of equity and fairness in the distribution of projects across the State.
Governor Oborevwori’s M.O.R.E Agenda is not just a slogan; it is a testament to strategic planning, disciplined resource management and a deep commitment to the well being of every citizen. Through his prudent and people-centered leadership Oborevwori has defined what it means to manage State resources responsibly and transparently.
Deltans are now beginning to understand the meaning of the promise: “I am going to be a governor for all Deltans”.
The M.O.R.E agenda has taken roots just as the ship of State is on course, with its compass set in the right direction.
The opposition has been brought to its knees through good governance. By a policy of total inclusiveness, the Oborevwori administration has shown that the PDP umbrella is big enough to accommodate all Deltans one way or the other.
Flowing from the above, DELTA FRESH VISION enjoins every Deltan in Nigeria and in the Diaspora to join hands with the Delta State Government to move the State forward. Politics is over for now and Governor has so far offered an olive branch to the opposition to help steer the ship of State to safe shores. Delta State belongs to all of us and no one should pull it down in the name of Politics.
The M.O.R.E. Reality Group (MRG) wishes to commend Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori for the maturity and sagacity he displayed in clarifying his interaction with Senator Ned Nwoko over the Okpai Independent. Power Plant (IPP) matter that had gained some traction in the public space recently.
Oborevwori and Ned Nwoko
We indeed, applaud Governor Oborevwori’s uncommon show of wisdom and statesmanship in the face of innuendos and flacks shot and directed at him, following the imbroglio and the impressions created that he was told about Okpai IPP and that he refused to do anything about it, thus creating the impression that he does not want the development for the good people of Ndokwa Nation on the one hand, and the entire Anioma nation that constitute Delta North Senatorial District on the other hand.
But that opportunity to tell his side of the story came when the leaders of Ndokwa Neku Union, led by the distinguished Brigadier General Mike Ndubuisi (rtd), visited the Governor, thus making it possible for him to clarify the misty aspects of the claims by Senator Ned Nwoko that went viral.
Recall that sometime in September this year there was a trending viral video in which Senator Ned Nwoko declared that he met and requested the Delta State Governor to assist in the step down of 100 megawatts to be produced by the Okpai Power Plant, for the benefit of Delta North, but that the Governor refused. The occasion was the visit of the Senator representing Delta North to Brigadier General Mike Ndubuisi (Rtd) in his home town.
The video pitched the media Aides of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori against the media Aides of Senator Ned Nwoko in a raging media battle that dominated the public space for several months. To worsen the situation, Senator Nwoko reportedly told Deltans that he equally told Governor Oborevwori to intervene in the water distribution content of the Ogwashi Uku Dam project but that the Governor equally refused.
Another project which Senator Nwoko told Deltans he discussed with Governor Oborevwori but that the Governor also refused to assist, was the proposed coastal road project linking Asaba-Oko-Ase-Patani. Senator Ned Nwoko had told his supporters that Governor Oborevwori’s refusal to do the coastal road project prompted him to approach NDDC to include the coastal road in their 2025 budget.
These assertions by Senator Ned Nwoko created a prolonged impression that Governor Oborevwori did not like the Ndokwa Nation and was even neglecting the whole of Delta North in his developmental projects.
To set the records straight, it is on verifiable record that no fewer than 27 projects are currently going on and in different stages of construction across the three Local Government Areas of Ndokwa Nation.
It is also on record that the 2025 budget of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s administration has allocated N2 billion for each Local Government on road infrastructure alone and has assured of enhanced development in the coming fiscal year 2025 with the budgetary provision of N50 billion for road infrastructure in the 25 Local Government Areas of the State.
There is also another N200 billion earmarked for road construction as provided for in the 2025 budget already passed by the State House of Assembly.
The appropriate opportunity for Governor Oborevwori to correct the erroneous impression of neglect of the Ndokwa Nation and Delta North Senatorial zone by extension, was thus presented, when the same Brigadier General Mike Ndubuisi (Rtd) led the Ndokwa NEKU Union to pay a courtesy visit to the Governor.
The Governor told the visiting team that he never held any discussion with Senator Ned Nwoko at any time concerning the Okpai IPP project nor any other project whatsoever. Governor Oborevwori revealed that the only thing Senator Ned Nwoko came to discuss with him was appointments for some of his constituents, which he granted.
Hear the Governor: “Sometimes as a Governor you will hear and see some things but choose not to respond. I saw a video that went viral where the Senator representing Anioma Nation, Senator Ned Nwoko, said he discussed the Okpai IPP with me. The only time that Ned came to see me was to solicit for appointment for his people which I granted. When I saw the video, I just smiled. Maybe he didn’t know that the video would go viral.”
The M.O.R.E Reality Group believes that the clarification of and assurances by Governor Oborevwori on the matter ought to have been sufficient to clarify the issue and reassure the people of Ndokwa Nation and indeed Delta North that the Governor means well for them, and for all Deltans, but then we were taken aback when our attention was drawn to a recent publication by the Directorate of Communication, Office of the Distinguished Senator Representing Delta North Senatorial Zone, titled: “Senator Nwoko reacts to Governor Oborevwori’s claims on Okpai IPP, appointments, Ogwashi Uku Dam, others”, in which they said Governor Oborevwori’s clarification that he never discussed the Okpai Power plant matter with Senator Ned Nwoko “are a perplexing distortion of events, and for what it’s worth demand corrections.”
According to the tedious, long-winding and sometimes convoluted and duplicitous write up: “Senator Nwoko has consistently engaged with Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and other senior party leaders, including: The Deputy Governor; Elder Moses Iduh, Engineer Dan Osai, former Party Chairman, and former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa. The Senator has engaged the Governor on this project repeatedly, alongside other pressing developmental concerns critical to Delta North, including the Ogwashi-Uku dam, as well as the Asaba-Oko-Okpai-Aboh road. Despite repeated conversations with the Governor on these matters, no progress has been made, and no assurance was given.”
Apparently, what becomes glaringly obvious from the desperation of the publicists engaged and contracted into the self styled Directorate of Communication in the Office of Senator Ned Nwoko, is the crass ignorance they exhibited by claiming that “Senator Nwoko has consistently engaged with Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and other senior party leaders, including:
The Deputy Governor, Elder Moses Iduh, Engineer Dan Osai, former Party Chairman, and former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.”
In their pedestrian logic to reduce a matter of such developmental magnitude to a ridiculous level of flippancy and political grandstanding, they forgot that Senator Ned Nwoko, in his typically ubiquitous spontaneity and sometimes staccato exuberance, couldn’t have “consistently engaged” all the afore mentioned top PDP stalwarts without splashing it all over the media and making heavy populist political capital out of such meetings.
If he could allow the brief meeting he had with the President General of Ndokwa Neku to be blown out of imaginable proportions in the media, one then wonders how “consistent engagements” with the leaders of PDP, including Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, could have happened or taken place so quietly that not even a squeak or whiff of such engagement was publicized by the usually loquacious Directorate of Communication at the time they took place.
Of course, the whole of Nigeria is very aware of the Senator’s engagement with the Minister of Power and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), as well as the meetings with oil and gas companies and conducting site visits, including his bill on the floor of the Senate on the State of Okpai Power plant step down controversy, and most importantly his crusading advocacy for the creation of Anioma State, all of which were and have continued to be lavishly and copiously given comprehensive publicity in the media and public space.
So, how did we then miss these his “consistent engagements” with the top PDP stakeholders and the leaders including the Delta State Governor in the media when they happened? Indeed, it is inconceivable that Senator Ned Nwoko, who does not do things quietly and always loves drama in all his engagements, would discuss with Governor Oborevwori or former Governor Okowa for that matter and it did not get media attention? It is quite unbelievable and simply exposes the extent to which the Senator’s media vuvuzelas would go to twist and manipulate a simple matter with negative propaganda for cheap political mileage.
And by the way, in what form, manner or procedure were those “consistent engagements” conducted? At least, one expects as it is standard practice, just like he did on the floor of the Senate, that a distinguished and responsible Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should exhibit more maturity, seriousness and decorum in addressing such developmental matters with his own State Governor and party leaders instead of the uncouth, off-handed, garrulous, spur-of-the-moment flippancy, with which he presented the matter before General Ndubuisi. And one even wonders how he has been “consistently engaging” the other leaders too.
It smacks of a disturbing and unacceptable lack of respect for the office of the Governor of the State, and speaks volumes of the poor and shabby exhibition of leadership that should be condemned outrightly and not encouraged.
We are nevertheless partially assuaged by the fact that the Senator’s media directorate was humble enough to admit that on their own volition that “It is encouraging that the Governor’s 2025 budget earmarks ₦200 billion for road infrastructure. We remain hopeful that these proposed projects will be accommodated within this allocation, as they are critical to the development of Delta.”
However, we take very strong exception to the claim by the Directorate that, “Regarding State appointments, from the outset of Governor Oborevwori’s administration, there has been a noticeable effort to undermine Senator Ned Nwoko’s position.” Indeed Senator Nwoko’s media team should be ashamed to make such a damning and diminishing claim of their principal in the public space as it not only de-markets the Senator’s reputation considerably, it also greatly undermines his political stature and exposes him quite recklessly as a weakling who neither has the clout nor capacity to influence critical decisions in his own political constituency.
We want to believe that this is a faux pas committed quite unintentionally by the media directorate in their overarching desperation to evoke empathy and rehash the victimhood narrative of his endured marginalization in his own political party and within his own Senatorial zone. This is not only unfortunate and laughable, but also most importantly, reveals the fact that there must be a maverick way and manner the Senator is going about whatever he is doing that is not going down well with the collective interest and objective of his fellow party leaders and faithful.
Interestingly, while it is acceptable to suggest that Senator Nwoko contributed to the electoral successes of the Party in his Senatorial zone, it is also germane to strongly remind his directorate of communication that the party and indeed some of the leaders they have chosen to vilify, were greatly instrumental in both the choice and emergence of Prince Ned Nwoko as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is a well established mantra in political circles that “Party is Supreme” and the interest of the party should always be put in consideration first before individual interest. Senator Ned Nwoko himself is a big beneficiary of the party’s decisions.
Finally, the MORE Reality Group (MRG) is quite happy and satisfied with the maturity and political brinkmanship Governor Sheriff Oborevwori exhibited, by opting to use the platform of the visit of the high powered Ndokwa Neku Union delegation led by the well respected Brigadier General Mike Ndubuisi (rtd), not only to clear the air on his interaction as Governor of Delta State, with Senator Ned Nwoko on the Okpai Independent Power plant matter, but also to assure Ndokwa nation that the MORE Agenda will deliver development to Deltans including Ndokwa nation.
Governor Sheriff Oborevwori himself aptly captured the magnitude of the meeting thus: “Today, I had an excellent audience with the leadership of the Ndokwa Neku Union, led by the President-General, Brigadier-General Mike Ndubisi (rtd), during a courtesy visit at Government House, Asaba. We discussed critical road infrastructure, education, empowerment, job opportunities for our youths, the progress we have made so far, and our future plans.
“As a government committed to inclusiveness, I assured the delegation that the Ndokwa nation is not and would not be neglected by our administration.”
The Delta State Governor has spoken. The MORE Agenda is fully on course.
The University of Ibadan Alumni Association (UIAA) has elected new executives to steer the affairs of the association for the next two years.
The election took place during a Congress held on Saturday, November 23, 2024, at the Dame Edith Okowa Auditorium, Dr. Michael Omolayole Alumni Complex, University of Ibadan. The event was attended by members from across the 36 states of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
In his welcome address, the reelected Worldwide President, Professor Saawua Gabriel Nyityo, reflected on his administration’s challenges since being mandated by Congress on November 26, 2022. He recounted the crises faced in 2022 and highlighted the various unsuccessful efforts to foster unity within the association. Nyityo expressed gratitude to members for their trust and support in maintaining the association’s stability.
The UIAA 2024 Election Congress witnessed a keenly contested race for various positions. In a landmark victory, Dr. Irene Akhideno of the Ekpoma Chapter, a renowned medical practitioner and university lecturer, secured the position of 1st Vice President with 78 votes, defeating her closest rival, Fidelis Chukwuyem Mbadugha, SAN, of the Enugu State Branch, who garnered 28 votes.
Dr. Dorcas Terdoo Achineku and Dr Dorothy Unom Chairperson of Gboko Chapter of UIAA
Other notable election results included:
2nd Vice President: Morris Eleri, Esq. of the Abia State Branch defeated incumbent Joseph Akaanan, RAS, of the Gboko Chapter with 73 votes to 30.
1st Assistant Secretary: Dr. Daniel Oghoghovbe of the Isoko Chapter triumphed over Chief Uchemadu Abosi of the Abia State Branch, winning 73 votes to 30.
Worldwide Treasurer: Chief (Dr.) Oyinade Olujimi Tomori, JP, of the Ogun State Branch, popularly known as the Giwa Iyalode of Owu Kingdom, was reelected with 105 votes.
Several incumbents retained their positions:
Worldwide Secretary: Prof. Sarah Akintola of the UI Chapter.
National Financial Secretary: Dr. Ruth Epochi-Olise, reelected with 102 votes.
Publicity Secretary: Publicist Enitan Abel Johngold, ANIPR, of the Asaba Chapter, retained his role with 94 votes.
Legal Adviser: Ben Chuks Udoh, Esq. of the Onitsha Chapter, reelected with 92 votes.
Socio Secretary: Prof. Helen Adebola of the Anambra State Branch was also reelected.
Newly elected officials included:
2nd Assistant Secretary: Mr. Wale Alao of the Enugu State Branch.
Ex Officio 1: Ace broadcaster Comrade Christian Obileri of the Anambra State Branch.
Ex Officio 2: Ven. Kayode Ajibare of the Ogun State Branch, who secured 82 votes.
Ex Officio 3: Patrick Oyameda of the Edo State Branch, elected with 74 votes.
The Congress concluded with expressions of optimism for the association’s future and a commitment to fostering unity and progress.
Delta State Commissioner for Information, Dr. Ifeanyi Michael Osuoza, has been conferred with the prestigious Hero of Auchi Polytechnic Award.
Osuoza is amongst a roll call of 53 distinguished graduates of Auchi Polytechnic, some of whom have been recognized posthumously, including; former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Tom Ikimi; the Late media mogul High Chief Raymond Dokpesi; immediate past GMD/CEO of Zenith Bank Mr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu and best selling young Nigerian singer/songwriter, Crown Uzama, (aka shallipopi), who were deemed worthy to receive the maiden Heroes of Auchi Polytechnic Award.
Auchi Poly
The Heroes of Auchi Polytechnic Award, conceived by the Alumni Association of the institution to identify graduates who have excelled in their careers, businesses and politics and also supported the institution through manpower and human capital development, infrastructural support and service to Auchi Polytechnic, the Alumni Association and humanity in general, is part of activities to commemorate, the institution’s 61st Anniversary and the 26th – 29th combined convocation ceremony, which took place on Saturday, November 16, 2024.
Dr. Michael Ifeanyi OsuozaAuchi Poly
Dr. Osuoza, in a congratulatory goodwill message on behalf of the Delta State Government, rejoiced with Auchi Polytechnic, on the auspicious occasion of the 61st Anniversary of the institution and the combined convocation ceremony of its academic calendar, noting that “Auchi Polytechnic has transformed in the last 61 years, into a globally renowned institution of academic excellence and a famous citadel of educational brilliance, which has churned out distinguished, outstanding, highly respected and recognized Nigerians in the different fields of human endeavour both at home and across the world.”
Dr. Michael Ifeanyi Osuoza
The Delta Information Commissioner
said that: “Delta State Government is indeed proud to identify with the famous Auchi Polytechnic, which shares historical affinity with us in the old Bendel State, and extend our warm felicitations to the entire academic community, led by the Rector, Dr. Salisu Shehu Umar, as you celebrate and honour the achievements of students and staff alike, on this grand and prestigious event of your 61st Anniversary and the combined convocation ceremony, which in itself, is a laudable and impressive testimony that the institution has continued to fulfill its established mandate and responsibility of producing and delivering quality academic ambassadors from its establishment.”
The Chief Judge (CJ) of Delta State, Justice Tessy Diai, has continued the sensitization of an e-Filing/Electronic and Case Management System (ECMS) to improve justice delivery in the State.
A total of 163 Court workers grouped in three categories of group A (Honourable judges), group B (Heads of Directors, Assistant Chiefs, Registrars, Litigation Registrars/Process and Account Clerks/Cashiers) and Group C which is Court Registrars/Open Court, Legal Research Assistants, Court Bailiffs and Compliance Officers were among those sensitized at the training held at the State High Court Asaba.
Justice Diai, who was represented by The Admin Judge of Delta State High Court of Justice, Honourable Justice G. B. Briki-Okolosi, said the program was for Court workers from the State, stressing that it marked a crucial step in improving access to justice and efficiency of judicial procedures. That it’s application manages the entire case process, from the point of filling to the point when the case is decided.
Disclosing that judicial workers in Asaba have earlier been trained, sensitized on electronic filing and now the turn of Court workers in other areas of the State, the CJ who noted that the main objective of the training was the sensitization and training of Court workers in the State on the use of the new ECMS, said “this was an effort to improve justice delivery, through the development of online courts and digital processes.”
Taking turns in their separate presentations, Mahmud Adamu and Abubakar Dahiru, resources persons from National Judicial Council (NJC), said e-filing is for lawyers to file in their cases anywhere they are and no more stress of going to the archives for workers to bring out cases. “And it’s only two two types of persons that can log into it. That’s the registered lawyer on its platform and Court workers given access like the lawyer.”
While saying it’s a customized system that would make lawyers not to deny being served after serving, the system revert to the System (sender) that served it whenever the receiver (lawyer) open the mail it will notify the system that the receiver opened it. The NJC resource persons hinted that the system of e-filing would save Bailiffs the stress of serving a party. And that they had seen how Bailiffs toiled to ensure that they deliver Court summon papers under the most uncomfortable conditions to party.
The resource persons noted that technology should be harnessed to provide better and more efficient services to the public as it improves access to justice, stressing that the software offered litigants, through their counsel, the opportunity to file their matters comfortably online.
”The software has the capacity to accommodate online payment and every sundry attachment to the court processes.
”The era of paperwork is fast eroding as the software is developed to empower both the administrative and judicial proceedings of the case.” They added in their presentations.
The Sheriff Oborevwori Administration of Delta State has presented series of spectacular events, some of which defy human logic. Governor Oborevwori himself emerged Governor after surviving as many as 38 court cases, which were veritable land mines strewn on his part to stop him from becoming Governor. As a man destined to govern the state, he weathered all storms, and today, no one is in doubt that he didn’t become governor by chance but through divine orchestration
The 18 -month old administration of Sheriff Oborevwori, with its M.O.R.E agenda mantra, presents features that are distinct from those of his predecessors in ways that are deliberately remarkable :
(1) A PREDILECTION FOR QUALITY PROJECTS
One distinctive feature of the Oborevwori administration is its emphasis on quality projects. The administration has thus hired reputable construction firms like Julius Berger, CCC construction company, CCECC, Levant Construction Company, SETRACO and tested home grown construction firms like Obakpor Engineering Limited to execute its high profile construction projects.
While Julius Berger is handling the construction of three bridges, cloverleaf and road expansion projects in Warri/Effurun metropolis, CCECC is handling the sector C of the 167 Kilometer Asaba Ughelli expressway including the complex Obo bridge at Ogwashi Uku.
SETRACO is handling the ambitious Trans-Warri Ode 20.95 Kilometer Itsekiri road with multiple bridges and spurs. Also, Obakpor Engineering, a reputable indigenous firm, is handling the Orere bridge in the Ughelli South Local Government area.
Remarkably, Governor Oborevwori pays personal attention to these projects to complement the efforts of competent Commissioners and government Engineers who oversee them. Besides, Governor Oborevwori has the spectacular habit of setting aside monies for projects while still under construction to avoid project abandonment. To this end, all the projects bequeathed to it by the Okowa administration have either been completed or are at varying stages of completion.
(2) ZERO TOLERANCE FOR SHODDY OR SUB-STANDARD PROJECTS
Right from inception, Governor Oborevwori made it clear to Contractors that his administration was going to have zero tolerance for shoddy or substandard jobs. He made it clear that contracts were going to be awarded to only competent contractors in line with the M.O.R.E agenda of the administration. To this end, he appointed a competent civil Engineer as the Special Adviser for Project Monitoring and Audit and a strong team of project monitors to ensure compliance.
Governor Oborevwori ensures that monies set aside for projects have value just as he abhors cutting corners or use of out-of-specification materials for projects .
(3) JUDICIOUS USE OF PUBLIC FUNDS FOR PUBLIC GOOD
Governor Oborevwori is a good manager of men and resources and he exhibits these good traits in the management of state resources. Since mounting the saddle as Governor of Delta state, he has not borrowed a kobo to finance Government projects. He works within means and ensures that government obligations to contractors and civil/public servants are met as at when due.
Oborevwori has consistently plugged all areas of waste or leakages while also ensuring that Government does not indulge in reckless expenditure that gives the impression that his government is a “Father Christmas”
(4) DELIBERATE AND SUSTAINABLE HUMAN CAPITAL ENGAGEMENT
In line with the M.O.R.E Agenda, Governor Oborevwori started early by recruiting 3000 teaching and non-teaching staff across the 25 local government areas of the state. The Governor also ensured that students of Delta State origin, numbering over 60,000 in tertiary institutions across the country, received their 2022/2023 bursary while also approving a 25% reduction in acceptance fees in the four state-owned universities. The Governor has so far done three tranches of palliative distribution to widows, the aged, and vulnerable segments of the society.
The State’s MORE GRANT SCHEME has recorded tremendous results as thousands of beneficiaries in targeted trades/artisans have been empowered. Meanwhile, direct beneficiaries of the Delta COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (D-CARES) had exponentially increased from 36,353 to 110,841 within one year of the Oborevwori administration. The Delta State government, under Oborevwori’s watch, is poised to create 50,000 jobs with the introduction of Special Agricultural Economic Zones with special strategic partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, the African Development Bank, and International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA ), amongst others.
Also, the Oborevwori administration has given financial assistance to students of Delta State extraction in seven Nigeria law schools across the Nation. This is in addition to the payment of N14.5 billion as pension obligations to retired workers in the State. As a workers-friendly administration, Governor Oborevwori has not only paid the outstanding promotion arrears of civil servants but also promptly approved a minimum wage of N77,000 Naira for civil servants in the State.
(5)DELIBERATE YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AT HIGH LEVEL OF GOVERNANCE
Perhaps no government before it in Delta State has given youths the opportunity to participate in high levels of Government as the Oborevwori administration has done. The Oborevwori administration lived up to its campaign promise by unprecedentedly giving several youths opportunities to serve as members of the state Executive Council. About 30% of the state commissioners are below 40, and this is replicated in the number of youths who are EAs, SSAs, and SAs. This policy has brought a lot of succour to youths in the state and increased capacity building, youth empowerment, and succession planning in governance.
(6)EMPOWERMENT OF MORE WOMEN IN GOVERNMENT THROUGH POLICY OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
The government of Oborevwori is very women-friendly.
To foster gender inclusiveness, Governor Oborevwori directed the state PDP to ensure that when a man emerges as Chairmanship candidate in the local government election, the Vice Chairman must be a woman. The Governor also directed that at least three women must emerge as Councillors in each of the Local Government Councils.
The last local government election, therefore, produced more women in that tier of government than any administration before it since 1999. This policy again has engendered inclusion and peace in the state.
(7)A GOVERNMENT OF INCLUSION
The Oborevwori administration promised to run a government of inclusion and has so far lived to its promise. To create an atmosphere of inter-party harmony and cohesion, Governor Oborevwori appointed several opposition party chairmen to serve in his government. That aside, the Governor gave appointments to non-indigenes in the state and gave the nonindigene community in the state a special status, thus fostering a unique opportunity for them to participate in the affairs of government.
(8)A MORE BALANCED PATRONAGE AND RESOURCE DISTRIBUTION TO THE DIFFERENT ETHNIC NATIONALITIES IN DELTA STATE
The Government of Sheriff Oborevwori has deliberately created ethnic balancing by ensuring even distribution of patronage and resources to the different ethnic nationalities in the state. At no time before now has the different ethnic nationalities experienced this type of inter-communal peace in the state. For the first time since 1999, the Ndokwa Nation produced a Deputy Governor. An Itsekiri man is the state Chairman of PDP, while an Ijaw man is the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly. An Isoko man is the Chief of Staff while an Ika man is the SSG. The Aniocha/Oshimili Federal constituency has produced the Senator representing Delta North in the Senate. The Political lines has fallen in pleasant places, and no community is left out. The Isoko people were recently pleasantly surprised when Governor Oborevwori facilitated a new faculty of Basic medical sciences in the University of science and Technology Ozoro and also approved immediate building of a new faculty building to accommodate students into the new faculty. Such is the spirit with which the Governor creates community peace and security .
The aforementioned Political craftmanship perhaps explains the reason why Sheriff Oborevwori had the distinction of being not only the longest-serving speaker in the Delta state of Assembly (11th May 2017 – May 28th, 2023) but also the only speaker in the history of the Assembly to have transmuted from one administration to another.
The group, New Delta Coalition, has urged Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to cooperate fully with federal investigators regarding alleged financial mismanagement during Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa’s tenure as governor.
Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori
Okowa is accused of misappropriating N1.3 trillion of Delta State funds between 2015 and 2023.
The former governor who was arrested was subsequently detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Reacting to the arrest, the coalition in a statement by Godwin Anaughe, called for transparency and accountability, stressing that Governor Oborevwori, as the former Speaker of the Delta State Assembly, has a responsibility to ensure that the state’s resources are protected.
He also stressed the need for the governor to work with investigators to recover allegedly looted funds and hold Okowa and his collaborators accountable.
According to the coalition, the whopping N1.3 trillion alleged to have been misappropriated by Okowa’s administration represents 13% derivation funds of Delta State’s allocation from the federation account between 2015 and 2023.
Ifeanyi Okowa
The group claimed that the alleged diversion of funds for personal gain, including acquiring properties in Abuja and Asaba, Delta State, has breached public trust during Okowa’s governorship.
They also condemned the suspicious investment of N40 billion in UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas, allegedly redirected for unrelated purposes, adds complexity to Okowa’s alleged misdeeds.
The statement reads;
The arrest and detention of Ifeanyi Okowa, former Governor of Delta State, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged misappropriation of N1.3 trillion of Delta State funds is shocking but hardly surprising. This staggering amount, representing 13% derivation funds of Delta State’s allocation from the federation account between 2015 and 2023, was meant to benefit the people of Delta State.
Ifeanyi Okowa’s alleged diversion of these funds for personal gain, including acquiring properties in Abuja and Asaba, Delta State, breached public trust during his governorship. Furthermore, the suspicious investment of N40 billion in UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas, allegged to have been redirected for unrelated purposes, adds another layer of complexity to Okowa’s alleged misdeeds.
These revelations, especially given his history of neglecting to pay civil servants and pensioners while accumulating massive debt, make Okowa’s dismal record of achievement in office all the more disappointing.
Okowa’s alleged financial crimes confirm the prevalent and pervasive corruption, lack of transparency and accountability, impunity, and executive lawlessness of the PDP administration in Delta State, which over the years have exacerbated the struggles of everyday Deltans. It’s unacceptable that those in power prioritize personal gain over the welfare of the people they serve.
The EFCC’s investigation and arrest of Okowa are crucial steps toward ensuring accountability and justice. We commend the EFCC’s efforts and urge them to conduct a thorough investigation to ensure that the funds are recovered and the perpetrators are prosecuted and brought to justice.
Delta State’s widespread poverty and underdevelopment have been constructed and sustained by monumental corruption and theft of the state’s resources. The chronic lack of basic social services, infrastructure, and economic opportunities contradicts the humongous federal allocations. While Okowa and his cronies allegedly looted the state’s treasury, the good people of Delta State remained consigned to live in squalor and extreme poverty.
Poverty conditions in the state’s oil-rich areas are exacerbated by unremedied pollution, ecological damage, and unmitigated climate change. Oil-producing communities in Urhobo, Itsekiri, Ijaw, Isoko and Ndokwa continue to suffer neglect and misery due to corruption and bad governance.
The Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), established to facilitate development, has failed to justify its mandate and dashed hopes for sustained interventions to promote development and progress of concerned areas.
The lack of visible progress and development under Governor Oborevwori’s administration is astounding and suggests a bleak future for Deltans, particularly regarding the alleged misappropriation of massive funds flowing into the state’s coffers. Between June 2023 and July 2024, Delta State received N239.6 billion.
The New Delta Coalition strongly condemns Okowa’s alleged financial crimes. We call for a thorough and transparent investigation and prosecution of the perpetrators. Deltans deserve to be served with the highest attainable standards of transparency, accountability, and good, effective governance. We will continue to advocate for their rights, with the sole aim of Building A New Delta.
We have just read a statement credited to former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in which he tried to discredit President Bola Tinubu’s economic reform programmes while pushing his untested agenda as a better alternative.
First, Alhaji Atiku’s ideas, which lacked details, were rejected by Nigerians in the 2023 poll.
If he had won the election, we believe he would have plunged Nigeria into a worse situation or run a regime of cronyism.
Abubakar lost the election partly because he vowed to sell the NNPC and other assets to his friends. Nigerians have not forgotten this, nor would they be comforted by Atiku’s antecedents when he ran the economy in the first term of President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government between 1999 and 2003.
As vice president, Atiku supervised a questionable privatisation programme. He and his boss demonstrated a lack of faith in our educational system, and both went to establish their universities while they allowed ours to flounder.
Talk is cheap. It is easy to pontificate and deride a rival’s programmes even when there are irrefutable indices that the economic reforms yield positives despite the temporary difficulties.
Despite the futile attempt to hoodwink Nigerians again in his statement, it is gratifying that the former Vice President could not repudiate the economic reforms pursued by the Tinubu administration because they are the right things to do.
His advocacy for a gradualist approach only showed that he was not in tune with the enormity of problems inherited by President Tinubu.
It is so easy to paint a flowery to-do list. It is expected of an election loser.
President Tinubu met a country facing several grave challenges. Fuel subsidies were siphoning away enormous resources we could ill afford, and there was criminal arbitrage in the forex market.
No leader worth his name will allow these two economic disorders to persist without moving to end them surgically.
While advocating for gradual reforms may sound appealing, Tinubu took measures that should have been taken decades ago by Alhaji Abubakar and his boss when they had the opportunity.
Alhaji Abubakar calls for empathy and a human face to reforms. We have no problem with this as it resonates well with our administration’s focus. President Tinubu has consistently emphasised the need for compassion and protection of the most vulnerable.
The administration has prioritised social safety nets and targeted support for those affected by recent economic transitions.
Delta Community decries lack of medical facilities – commends OMIWA Foundation for bridging the gap in healthcare delivery.
The people of Ezi Community in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State have lamented absence of health facilities in the area. They appealed to OMIWA Foundation, an international non-profit organization dedicated to bridging the healthcare gap in remote Nigerian villages to continue to provide healthcare to the community.
Omiwa Foundation has been providing free-medical services to communities in Delta State for years now.
The community spoke last week in Ezi Town Hall through various beneficiaries, during a free-medical outreach organized by OMIWA Foundation, where a total of 273 patients were treated of various diseases.
This newspaper gathered that to date, OMIWA Foundation has relentlessly put smiles on the faces of many individuals from different communities through free-medical interventions. The just concluded free-medical outreach to Ezi community on October 26 and 27, 2024 marked the 31st free-medical mission completed by the Foundation so far. A milestone that only a few if any foundation has achieved in Nigeria.
OMIWA health personnel treating Ezi people
Some of the beneficiaries lamented that the only time they accessed healthcare service outside traditional methods is when OMIWA Foundation team comes to their community.
Speaking in unison in their separate remarks, Mr. Paschal Nwafor, Mr. Sunny Ndikanwe and Mrs. Chinyere (beneficiaries) said “we lack healthcare centers in almost all the communities in this state, “we travel to other communities when we hear that Omiwa Foundation is coming to that community, because that is the only chance we have”. Thus, there is no place for follow-up visit unless OMIWA Foundation team comes back again. We have received several promises of help from those we voted for and none of them has come through for us. Diabetes, dental problems, and hypertension are killing many of our people. Many of our children and even adults have not been immunized. We do not have any place for our pregnant mothers and wives to go for care. Many of them carry pregnancies to term without pre-natal care thus leading to birth complications and, in most cases, maternal death. We cannot go to any regular hospital because of high cost of medical care in the State. Many people have died from curable and preventable diseases and illnesses”.
OMIWA Foundation’s Medical Team treating Ezi people
Responding to questions from newsmen shortly after the flagged off ceremony, the lead physician of OMIWA Foundation’s Medical Team, Dr. Steve Ugbome, appealed to the media to encourage all well-meaning individuals and groups to find ways to support health care delivery in the local communities.
Addressing the patients during the Health Talk, Dr. Ugbome advised them to stay away from self medication and always visit the primary health center nearest to them if they find one. Adding that they should take checking of their vital signs very important. “If possible make it a daily ritual to check your blood pressure”.
Chief Anthony Ezeagwu thanked Omiwa Foundation for choosing Ezi for the free-medical outreach, and appealed to the group to return to Ezi for a repeat of the good work so that others can benefit.
Responding, OMIWA Foundation’s Coordinator in Nigeria Mr. Tohan Okenyi said they chose the community to carryout the 31st free Medical Outreach in view of its peculiar terrain. He thanked the community for their love and hospitality.
OMIWA Foundation
The event was officially flagged-off by Chief Dan Okenyi former commissioner for Lands and Survey, Delta state. Also present was Hon. Ebegbuna Louis Obiajulu, the Supervisory Councilor for Finance, Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State.
The presentation of Certificate of Participant to the Medical Team was done by Hon Chief Anthony Ezeagwu, the Ocheindo of Ezi Kingdom.
The highlight of the event was the offering of free-medical services and healthcare talk to Ezi Community by the OMIWA Foundation’s Medical experts.
