By Eklizia Eromodeoghene
The political landscape in Delta State is already awash with frenzied activities in anticipation of next year’s election which will usher in a new administration. The people who constitute the electorate and the determining factor in choosing who holds what office have already configured their choice and resolved it in favour of one candidate. That candidate is Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, the present Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly and Delta State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The emergence of Hon. Oborevwori can be appreciated in two ways which stand as opposites to each other. It was an easy task and it was also not an easy task. The explanation for this contradiction lies in the fact that owing to his pro-people agenda and well known populist credentials, the PDP delegates at the governorship primary election, voted massively for the candidature of Hon. Oborevwori so that the number of votes cast in his favour doubled the entire votes polled by the others aspirants. For this, the primary election was easy for him. But, just before and after the primary election, some elements went to court and embarked on media smear campaign to undo the candidacy of Oborevwori, but God saw him through as He answered the prayer of Deltans who not only see Oborevwori as genuinely one of their own, but as their God-sent political servant-leader to lead them further on the path of advancement in the next few years.
The people of Delta State have come to appreciate Hon. Oborevwori as the only candidate at the moment who is in the race for an altruistic reason which is to serve them and ensure their security and welfare. Evaluating all the other candidates running for the governorship of Delta State, the people only see guile, arrogance, avarice, mad lust for power without due regard or genuine programme of action for the State. Only a mischief-maker will argue that Delta State has not made progress since it was created in 1991 or since the return to democratic rule in 1999. Looking at Delta State within the context of Nigeria, there is no doubt that the State ranks among the first three in all parameters of development put together.
Despite the antics of naysayers, Delta State is one of the few states that pay workers’ salaries up to date. It is also among the only five states that pay pensioners. Yes, these are true. But what we hear are disgruntled politicians who capitalize on minor incidents or omission in pension payment and sponsor failed protests to score cheap political points.
Delta State has the highest number of state owned universities in Nigeria. The true story of the monumental advancement Delta State has attained is better left for another day. It is this developmental stride that Hon. Oborevwori wants to take to new levels of consolidation by offering Deltans his well thought out manifesto aptly called MORE. The significance of MORE is that Hon. Oborevwori is offering to do more to advance the fortunes of Delta State and her people. The meaning and essence of MORE which is really the people’s agenda are encapsulated in in four cardinal concepts as follows: Meaningful development, Opportunities for all, Realistic reforms and Enhanced peace and security. Those who have had cause to evaluate the MORE manifesto have situated it within a combined framework that links the local Nigerian context with a global reality that is driven by the desire to approximate the Sustainable Development Goals come 2030.
Hon. Oborevwori has pragmatically located the people at the centre of his development vision for Delta State. His MORE agenda begins with Meaningful development which recognizes education, energy, healthcare, physical infrastructure such as roads, transportation, housing and new cities, rural development, urban regeneration, etc, as central to human development. Each of the items are analyzed to cater not only for the needs of Deltans, but are given a global touch that is capable of mainstreaming the State and her people into the global arena of socio-economic engagements and development. The programme for energy underscores the sector’s capacity to revive and catalyze the State’s industrial base. In Opportunities for all, the manifesto gives brilliant and workable insights into employment and wealth creation, agricultural productivity, industrialization, ICT, sports and creative enterprise. The end result is the massive job opportunities that will eradicate unemployment and open up new vistas of prosperity and social security. The resultant effect will be holistic socio-economic transformation for the overall wellbeing of the people of Delta State.
Hon. Oborevwori understands the need for Realistic reforms for the manifesto to become actionable. Without such reforms that will reorder the workings of government in tandem with the new realities of an imminent New World Order, no meaning development will materialize and there will be no opportunity for all. He envisages the evolution of dynamic policies and programmes that will rev the machinery and oil the wheel of governance. This is why he plans to refocus the work force by regular training and retraining in order for it to be abreast with global best practices. The deployment of ICT with its attendant change impetus remains a major driver of the realistic reforms. Enhanced peace and security is intended to create an enabling environment that will not only guarantee the safety and security of all Deltans, but also make the State attractive to foreign and local investors. Delta State has the best potentials as a business cum investors’ destination in Africa. The State is rich in human and natural resources and with an international airport and access to the Atlantic Ocean, it is only waiting to join the flourishing arena of international trade.
The various components of the MORE agenda are tailored to cater for the welfare and security of the people of Delta State. Besides, Hon. Oborevwori’s rootedness among the people, his training as a political scientist up to postgraduate degree level has exposed him to the nuances of good governance and political economy. His academic orientation has further been consolidated by rigorous trainings in management and political leadership in Ivy League universities. His experience in government, which bestrides both executive and legislative arms, has also enriched his perspective on developmental issues.
As Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, the entire state is his constituency and as one who listens to his colleagues and carries them along, he knows the developmental aspirations of every part of the State and thus in a good stead to address them. Hon. Oborevwori is the embodiment of the people’s hopes and aspirations. He carries in his mend and message the people’s agenda. His is the people’s agenda anchored on MORE.
Eklizia Eromodeoghene writes from Patani in Delta State.
