Oborevwori’s Movement To APC Has Attracted More Devt, Empowerments —Utulu

OUR Weekend Pointer Guest is a man of many parts. He is a socialite, fearless dedicated politician, religious leader, a community leader and hardworking lecturer with Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi Uku. He is also the present All Progressives Congress (APC) Youth Leader in Aniocha South.

He spoke with our man, IFEANYI OMENOGOR dur­ing the week, where he spoke on education, politics and other society issues. Excerpts

Can we meet you?

I am Comrade Austin Utulu, a part-time Pastor of the Living Faith Church, Winners Chapel, a lecturer and also the APC Youth Leader in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State.

Okay, let’s start with you as a lecturer.

What do you have to say about education de­velopment in line with the MORE Agenda of our Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori?

Thank you for that question. I’m a lecturing at Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku.

Education generally in Delta State is growing. But you see, people no longer focus on education in the country. Instead, what we see is the get-rich-quick syndrome. That’s what we see amongst youths. But His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori is doing all he could in his MORE Agenda to make sure that schools are well-equipped at the tertiary level and even at the secondary school level.

This is to make sure that these youths are incor­porated into the educational system and at the same time become something useful tomorrow. Because I always tell people that education is the foundation of development in any nation. The level of those who go through tertiary institutions is minimal. Then development becomes a problem for that nation. So, our governor doing all he can to make sure that the youths go to school.

How will you rate graduates from the schools?

Like I did mention in the course of the first question you asked, the graduates, I would say, not just in Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku, but in the general spectrum, most of the time are half-baked.

Many do not want to go to school. They just want to acquire the certificates. So, that is why you see them skip classes; they don’t attend lectures but during exams, we see few of them in halls with the one pur­pose: just to get the certificates. So, if you ask me to advise, I’ll say that youths, especially the boys, should hold on to education, be serious with lectures, hold on tenaciously to it, so that at the end of it, they could make meaning with their life. But many times we see them; they go into Yahoo, because they want to make quick money without hardwork. All that matters for youths these days is to make money, going to school just to acquire the certificate. Perhaps their parents forced them: ‘I am a graduate, and my children must be graduates’. That is why you see them go to school, because they are forced into doing it. But, left for them alone, none of them wants to go to school.

All that matters to them is to make money. So, if you go by your question, generally, the level of gradu­ates that we get from schools these days, they are half-baked. But my prayer is for them to take their studies seriously and know that for them to become something in life they must embrace hard work. We say the youths are the leaders of tomorrow. And we are not ready to take responsibility. Until we are able to take responsibilities, that’s only when we can actually see a future for ourselves and those to take charge of that future. Thank you.

Recently the entire PDP family decamped to APC, and you are an old member of the party, what do you have to say as an APC youth leader?

It’s all well. Me for one, I would say it’s a good devel­opment. Some persons have this fear. Like so many of them have bragged that they are coming to submerge us. They have bragged about it. But I know myself; I don’t have that fear inside of me. It’s a good thing that they came to join us. As a party, we wanted to take over Delta State by 2027. But as God may have it, while we are struggling to get it, God gave it to us on the platter of gold in April 28, 2025, they joined APC. It’s a good thing for me and the entire APC in Delta State.

I’ve been in the APC from beginning and we are still here, we know what we passed through as an opposition. So, now we are happy that they joined us; it is for good. So come 2027, all the over 10,000 youths in my local gov­ernment area and beyond would work for the governor.

Are you telling us that the decision by Governor Oborevwori, and other PDP members, to come to APC is a blessing to Delta State?

It’s a blessing to Delta State; it’s a blessing to APC, and it’s a blessing to Nigeria. Why do I say so? Firstly, it’s to align with the Federal Government, because Delta State has missed out before now. Some time ago, about two months ago, an empowerment programme was rolled out and this empowerment programme came from the national. But since Delta State was an opposition to the Federal Government, being a PDP state then, we never enjoyed that money. But now when they merged, the Federal Government released some empowerment pro­grammes, so it’s a blessing to the state.

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, we are hearing some little noise from behind, do you think Governor Oborevwori and President Tinubu would emerge victorious?

For Oborevwori a sitting governor to decamp to APC, there are some terms and conditions; first, he must be the governorship candidate of APC in 2027, that is guar­anteed, and for me as a matter of fact, some time ago, we had a meeting with Delta North stakeholders and he and Tinubu have been endorsed.

Oborevwori will be unopposed. And it’s going to be a clean victory for all Deltans. Why did I say so? The only opposition we have in Delta State is APC. And now, PDP is APC now. So, I don’t see any opposition. But now, they have joined us. We don’t need to fight. All we need to do is just to know our cards, play our cards. The only op­position I foresee is the Obidient Boys (Labour Party). That’s the only opposition I foresee. And we’re making adequate plans to put them in check in 2027. So, it’s going to be a win-win thing for both the President and Governor Oborevwori.

What is the future of Nigeria youths, politically?

I would say that the former governor of Delta State started empowering youths. If you look at his appointees, commissioners, SSAs, Executive Assistants, majority of them are youths and His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori has continued from that template. Most of the appointees are all youths. So, for us, all we need to do as youths is to put our arts together, build capacities, and take over leadership responsibilities. That’s all we need to do.

Don’t you think that Nigeria youths have capacity to take over Presidency in 2027?

Yes, I’m a master degree-holder. I can be a governor, but not the President. The President of the nation is just too big for a youth to handle. If you watch very well, when the former Vice President of the nation, Pastor Yemi Osinbajo, became Vice President, he was quite young. If you look at Jonathan, when he became President of the nation, he was quite young. For a period of two or three years, he became President, he grew older. That is to tell you that the workload there is not an easy one. First of all, as youths, that’s why I say the first thing we need to do is to build capacity. For example, I’m okay to be the Chairman of a local government. I’m right to be a governor of a state. But before I can become the President of a nation, I must start from these positions and pass through knowledge.

Is this opinion of yours not against the consti­tution?

It has been reviewed. You must have a B.Sc. before you can become the president. It has been reviewed.

As APC youth leader in Aniocha South, what is happening to youth there in terms of empower­ment, political advancement, and contributions to development?

Thank you very much for the question. In terms of empowerment, like I did mention before, we have suffered in the opposition, but now that we are in the ruling party, empowerments are going on. You can see that I’m shining? They don’t pay lecturers well. I am not a lecturer because I’m looking for a job. I lecture because I have a passion to lecture, I have a passion to teach, and that’s why I do that.

What are they paying us?, a lecturer cannot build a decent house or buy a decent car based on salary alone, only the corrupt ones. Take it from me sir. No lecturer can build a decent house from his salary. Many are complaining, but me, I don’t complain be­cause it’s a thing of passion for me, that’s why I do it.

Now, going by your question, empowerments are coming every day. And it’s affecting the youths, posi­tively. Skills acquisitions are coming up every time. We are taking them down to the grassroots. Youths are benefiting from it. That’s in terms of empowerment.

In terms of developing the community, all we need to do is to make sure that what they have given to us, we also give back to the society. Now, when one or two persons are empowered, we trickle it down. I’m the local government youth leader, I have 11 wards with me. All I need to do, from whatever that I get, I trickle it down to these 11 wards with me. And I also let ward leaders know that it’s not for them only but they must get it to the units. It must go to the units and the grassroots. And when it comes to development for example, we engage environmental sanitation. I also mobilise people to clean and sanitise the environment during sanitation days.

So, generally, youths are being empowered?

Yeah, they are being empowered and we thank the Chairman of Aniocha South for his good leadership qualities, as I urge him not relent.

Finally, what is your message to Nigerian youths?

My message to Nigerian youths is for them to re­main focused, acquire skills, build capacities, to take up leadership responsibilities, where opportunities come. We are doing our best. I would doff my hat for Governor Sheriff Oborevwori for one particular proj­ect he did that has been abandoned for many years and has been running for decades. The Ebo bridge project, and to urge him to do more for the people through empowerments and infrastructure.

And as man of God, I will urge all Deltans, Nigerians to pray for our governor and president to succeed, so that we can have country of our dreams.