Our personality this week is the Governor of Delta State, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori. He was recently conferred with the Award of Excellence in Leadership by the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Warri, for what the institute described as “his outstanding contributions to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector”.
The Award was also in recognition of the Governor’s visionary leadership, policy innovations, and commitment to sustainable growth in the industry. It was presented to him during the 4th Biennial International Conference on Hydrocarbon Science and Technology (ICHST), at the PTDF Towers, Abuja.
According to the Institute, within two years, the Oborevwori administration has been instrumental in promoting energy sector transformation, good governance, and environmental balance, which has led to the peaceful/uninterrupted operations of oil and gas in the state.
This credit, you sure will give to his administration as Delta State has not recorded any disruption of activities or operations in that sector of the State’s economy since the Governor came on board.
As it is often said, one of the primary responsibilities of government the world over is to ensure peace in society, and peace is necessary for any meaningful economic growth. To this and, Warri, and by extension the whole of Delta State, has remained peaceful in the past two years or more, regardless of the pockets of threat by some persons or groups.
No doubt, the Oborevwori administration deserves commendation for the peace in the State, Warri and its environs inclusive, that has made oil and gas operations uninterrupted since he came on board as the Governor.
The peace experienced in the State has brought increased investment, stability and predictability in oil and gas operations, and has increased and stabilised the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state.
For me, I think the Oborevwori administration’s commitment to ensuring and sustaining the peace in the State, and the Warri environment for that matter, is because it realises the fact that peace is a vital ingredient for development and economic growth, the absence of which can have far-reaching negative consequences.
Perhaps, it is important to note here that the Oborevwori administration has, over the years, been committed to creating peaceful operations for oil and gas operations in the state by its deliberate policy to promote local content participation and ensure that Deltans benefit directly from the industry.
His administration has also, through the office of Peace and Conflict Resolution, fostered a stable operating environment with community leaders and oil and gas industry operations.
The administration has also prioritised environmental responsibility and contributed to sustainable development in the Niger Delta region.
This Award, however, attracted reactions from many, within and outside of the state, as some have praised the honour, saying: It is a testament of the Governor’s visionary leadership and commitment to responsible governance in the oil and gas sector, adding that his efforts in promoting local content participation, peace-building, and environmental accountability have remained noteworthy and commendable.
For some others, Governor Oborevwori deserves the award because his administration has, within two years, positioned Delta State as a strategic player in the nation’s energy transition and governance reforms.
Others also hold the view that the Award is a recognition of the Governor Sheriff Oborevwori administration’s growing national profile as a champion of inclusive growth, environmental protection, and responsible governance in the oil and gas industry in the country.
