By Jackson Ekwugum
It is as if some people have sworn to never see anything good in Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, no matter what he does. Otherwise, I cannot understand the hullaballoo over the Annual Praise Day, which was held on May 29, 2024, to mark his one year in office. The Annual Praise Day is a noble initiative that was introduced by the Immediate past governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa. Prior to 2015, the inauguration of a new Governor was followed by a Gala Nite that had entertainers and sumptuous food and drinks in abundance. But in a break from tradition, the then Governor Okowa opted to have a Praise and Thanksgiving Service in place of the traditional Gala Nite. It was his own way of appreciating God’s grace upon his life and seeking divine guidance and enablement to pilot the affairs of the state. So, throughout the eight years of Okowa’s reign, May 29 was dedicated to praising and thanking God, and the event was subsequently enacted into law by the state House of Assembly.
It is, therefore, disingenuous – and uncharitable – for some people to pick on Governor Oborevwori for observing the Annual Praise Day based on an existing law. Even the USA celebrates Thanksgiving Day on the fourth Thursday of November every year. You sometimes wonder if some of these armchair critics and mischief makers would rather have an occultist or idol worshipper as Governor. It is to be appreciated that Governor Oborevwori is putting God first in everything he does. It is the divine proclamation that we are to seek God first and every other thing will be added to us. Indeed, the sweet Psalmist of Israel declared that blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. And as the Governor observed during the ceremony, quoting from Psalm 67, praise invokes divine blessings on a land.
It is evident from the Governor’s public and personal life that he takes his Christian faith seriously; he is not one to use religion as a tool for political gain. He is committed to serving God and humanity in deference to the privilege of divine choice that has been bestowed on him. While it is true that the Annual Praise Day requires money to organise, whatever is spent in the service of God cannot be deemed a waste because God’s blessings on our lives cannot be quantified in monetary terms. And anybody who knows Governor Oborevwori can attest to the fact that he is very prudent and abhors any form of financial wastage. Besides, I can almost guarantee that the government would spend far more if it chose to organise a jamboree in the form of Gala Nite.
It is quite shameful to hear some supposedly knowledgeable Deltans deride the Praise Day, claiming that it was because the Governor purportedly had nothing to show for his one year in office. It is nothing to be proud of that as a people we are garnering the unenviable reputation of vile propagandists, blackmailers, and rabble rousers. It is unfathomable how someone who claims to live in Delta State could not have noticed the developmental strides under Governor Oborevwori. You cannot traverse the length and breath of Delta and claim not to have noticed at least some visible development.
As I write, work is progressing steadily on the three flyover bridges and Cloverleaf Interchange that is being built by Julius Berger in the twin cities of Warri and Effurun. Does any sensible person expect these mega projects to be completed in one year? In the same manner, most of the projects currently under construction will be nearing completion in another year or two. Meanwhile, the Governor has done the good job of consolidating on the achievements of the past administration by completing some of the projects he inherited. That is the mark of a good administrator who understands that government is a continuum. It is not about who gets the credit but, like he rightly observed, about putting the resources of the state to good use and ensuring that the people get full value for their money.
Let me draw the reader’s attention to a valid point raised by Governor Oborevwori in his speech at the Praise Day. According to him, “the fair, objective, and realistic way to judge political leaders is by evaluating them by the promises they made while running for office.” This is the true measure of governments all over the world; you do not assess a democratically elected leader from your own narrow prism or based on what you think he should do. You judge him by the promises he made, usually contained in his campaign manifesto. In this wise, Oborevwori is a promise keeper. Hear him.
“I promised while seeking your support during the electioneering campaign that I will urgently address the issues of unpaid promotion arrears to both serving and retired state public servants, and the protracted issue of pension liabilities in the local governments. Within three months of assuming office, I fulfilled these promises. Regarding the promotion arrears, we paid over N5.5 billion to 23,887 to both serving and retired public servants, along with the reinstatement and remuneration of promotion arrears for 362 retired officers….
“To the glory of God, the thorny issue of unpaid local government pensions was speedily resolved as promised. My administration helped to secure legislative approval for the local government councils to obtain a N40b bank loan to enable them liquidate their backlog of pension liabilities. The loan, which is guaranteed by the state government, is payable over a five-year period, and will be deducted from the accounts of the local government councils….
“You will recall that I promised that my administration will consolidate on the achievements of the immediate past administration and complete all ongoing projects…. As many of you can testify, I have kept this promise. Several projects inherited from the past administration, notably, infrastructural projects in the three new state universities have been completed and inaugurated.
“In my Inaugural Address, I promised Deltans that Warri, the commercial nerve centre of the state, will be given special attention to restore its lost glory. That process has begun with the engagement of construction giant, Julius Berger, to construct three flyovers and Cloverleaf Interchange in the twin cities of Effurun and Warri. Work on these projects is progressing and, when fully completed, will radically change the landscape in Warri and environs while tackling the perennial problems of traffic congestion in the axis.”
By any standard you want to use to assess Governor Oborevwori, his first year has been one of steady progress and good governance. Even more impressive is that the governor has stamped his leadership style on the governance of the state; a style that is marked by excellence, fiscal discipline, prudent management, transparency, and accountability.
Ekwugum is Manager, Communications, Government House,
