About two years ago, history was made in the political firmament of the oil-rich Delta State as Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, the immediate past Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly was inaugurated as the Governor of the state following his electoral victory at the 2023 gubernatorial elections. By this development, Rt. Hon. Oborevwori, no doubt, became the first Speaker of the state legislature to be elected as Governor of the state.
To be precise, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori and Sir Monday Onyeme were inaugurated on Monday, May 29, 2023 as Governor and Deputy Governor of the state, respectively at the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba, amidst excitement and great jubilation. The Stephen Keshi Stadium, venue of the epoch-making ceremony was, undoubtedly, filled to its capacity by jubilant Deltans from all walks of life, who were at the stadium to witness the inauguration.
In his inaugural speech at the ceremony, Rt. Hon. Oborevwori, who thanked Deltans for the opportunity given to him and his deputy to serve, said his administration will foster sustainable economic growth and private sector job creation as well as boost human capital development in the state. He disclosed that his administration will also, build an enabling infrastructure; enhance governance and accountability systems for improved service delivery; and strengthen public financial management.
According to him, his inauguration marks the beginning not only of a new administration but of an era that will advance Delta State to greater heights in people-centred policies, human capital development and infrastructure renewal.
The Governor noted at the historic occasion that with what had been achieved by the immediate past administration, the then new government was poised to advance the state through the MORE Agenda which, he said, stands for: Meaningful development; Opportunities for all; Realistic reforms; and Enhanced peace and security.
With about a week to the second anniversary of the Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori administration in the state, all is now set for a harvest of monumental projects in critical sectors across the state. The projects billed for inauguration were indeed, executed by the state government to expand the frontiers of sustainable socio-economic growth and development of the state.
Speaking at a press conference in Asaba ahead of the activities heralding the second anniversary of the Oborevwori’s administration, the Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu said the Governor will commission a plethora of projects across the 25 local government areas of the state.
Aniagwu, who was joined by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sir Festus Ahon during the press briefing, said the last 23 months with Governor Oborevwori on the saddle have witnessed significant and positively impactful development in the state to the admiration of both Deltans and residents of the state.
‘’We have been able to make very profound marks in our attempt to link up our communities via motorable roads. For example, the Oborevwori administration has reduced the travelling time from Asaba to Ughelli in just 1 hour and 45 minutes.
‘’Governor Oborevwori has also, ensured that communities in the coastal parts of the state are more accessible than they were before now,’’ Aniagwu said, adding that the state government has remained committed to its campaign promises as summarised in the MORE Agenda.
‘’There are several projects that we have lined up to be commissioned, but because they are too many, the Governor may not have enough time to commission all of them. There are some that we may not bother to commission, even as the people have begun to use them. Members of the State Executive Council (SEC) will accompany us to inaugurate these projects. We are already taking stock of performances at different levels and in different sectors,’’ Aniagwu said.
Some of the projects ready for commissioning, according to the state’s spokesman, include the Model Technical College in Omadino, the Sector C1 and Sector A and Sector C2 of the Asaba/Ughelli expressway. Also completed and ready for commissioning are the Adabrassa Road, the Upper and Lower Erejuwa Road, the Beneku Bridge, the erosion control measures along the Okpanam/Ibusa corridor, the Olomoro/Igbide Road, the Otolokpo/Boji-Boji Road and the Akumazi/Owere-Olubor Road, among many others.
‘’Across different local government areas, we have projects in the area of road infrastructure. We also have several equipment such as those at the Asaba Specialist Hospital (ASH), which we procured to improve our healthcare and reduce medical tourism. They are also, ready for commissioning.
‘’In different sectors of the state, even in the Ministry of Science and Technology, we have a science hub in Onicha-Olona, which is also, ready for commissioning. I just mentioned the big ones. There are many other smaller roads that we have completed; thanks to our N1 bn initial intervention at the various local government areas, which we shored up to N2.1bn. This has helped us to make it possible to have several roads’’ Aniagwu said.
With the patriotic zeal and high level of commitment with which Governor Sheriff Oborevwori is delivering the deliverables of democracy, one can confidently affirm that Deltans are indeed, lucky to have him as their Governor. This is because, there is no local government area in the state that has not benefited from the inspiring developmental strides of the Oborevwori’s administration in the state.
As it (the administration) is about to enter its third year, it is expected that the developmental trajectory of the Oborevwori’s administration, which is anchored on the MORE Agenda, would be consolidated with a view to engendering a robust and sustainable socio-economic and infrastructural growth and development of the state.
