TWO dates, August 27 and May 29 of the solar calendar, are strikingly significant in the evolution of Delta State, though their essence depicts the varying colours of celebration by the people. In the order of precedence, August 27 is, however, more remarkable, being the day of its creation by the then military government led by retired Gen. Ibrahim Babangida. That exercise which was preceded by similar, benevolent acts of 1967, 1976, 1987, and 1996, is the most remarkable legacy of prolonged military leaderships, despite the criticism against the incursion of the armed forces in political governance.
Unlike the other day, May 29 has national import and therefore cannot be personalised by millions of Deltans alone. That we share in the joyous note of that particular date for birthing the present dispensation of civilian rule is not in doubt. We do so as beneficiaries of a burgeoning democratic system in which we have a stake to a certain degree. Take away that day, it can be argued that the noticeable course of development initiated by the successive leaders of our state would have been in abeyance, probably till now.
In retrospect, the creation of our state annually generates an abiding sense of belonging in us after years of agitation. For real, the defunct Midwestern Region was painfully left intact to our consternation and caused to undergo mere changes in nomenclature unlike other regions that gained incrementally from the alteration of the political structure by the military leaders from 1967. While that geopolitical entity was greatly endowed with material resources and a pool of quality human capital, those excellent attributes ironically impeded the quests of young persons to access varied opportunities in federal institutions because of the genie of federal character.
Most people of the Generation X who are 50 and above understand what I’m driving at. For those of us that desired further education then, getting admission into the few federal universities was very difficult, even if you scored 260 and above in the then University Matriculation Examination(UME). The unpleasant experience of a bright teenager who took the exam four times but failed to secure admission was a common story among my classmates in the Higher School Certificate class at Government College Ughelli between 1988 and 1989. But that fate was not peculiar to him. It also hindered the ambition of numerous teenagers, some of whom temporarily walked the path of despondency. Yet, all that’s in the past to a large extent in our state!
There’s no doubt that divergent opinions on the true state of Delta State will trail its 33rd anniversary in two days’ time, but it’s only a comparison of the years before 1991 and thereafter that we can appreciate the enduring benefits of having our own state. A greater meaning will be made if we further juxtapose the previous utter neglect of the areas that constitute Delta State in the defunct mother state with the noticeable physical development that has heralded the birth of the state in the intervening years of three decades.
No matter the school of thought the class of discernible Deltans may belong to, there’s something we cannot deny. It has to do with a recognition that the inauguration of successive governors
whose tenor of tenures is reflected in their vision, conception of policies and execution of projects has enriched the people and the diverse geographical space. As much as there’s no limit to an optimal performance, it’s a fact generally acknowledged that Delta State has fared well, generally speaking. It’s a tribute to the visionary strand in governance by four men that were privileged to receive the sacred mandates of the people at different times.
While each governor had performed in relation to the emerging challenges of his period, however, their election on the same party platform seemed to have brought some uniformity of ideas, including the core aspect of infrastructure emplacement, renewal, and consolidation which we have seen over the years. In doing so, they were conversant with the invaluable entreaty of Frantz Fanon who in The Wretched of the Earth advocates that “each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it.”
From the first governor in the post-1999 years, Chief James Ibori, who was compelled to deal with the pestilential years of military rule and the virtual lack of infrastructure in the state rose to the occasion by laying the foundation for his successors to build on. He did very well in building roads, especially connecting the backwaters of the coastal Aboh and Bomad with bridges and establishment of three polytechnics, one college of education and school of health technology educational institutions. Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan prioritized peace and bolstered growth of health, transportation, and education sectors, the most memorable being the award of scholarships to first-class graduates of the state origin to study overseas.
The next in succession, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa built roads, improved the healthcare delivery system, promoted peace, but above all, established three universities on the same day, a development that’s yet unsurpassed by any other subnational in Nigeria. Those three universities in Asaba, Ozoro, and Agbor have been made access to university education relatively easy unlike the aforementioned era of the 1980s. The incumbent Governor Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori showed the stuff he’s made of right few months after his inauguration in office. His concentration on building roads and giving attention to urban renewal are best captured by the ongoing three flyover bridges and clover roads in the intertwined Warri and Effurun environs.
One good feature of Delta State today is the emergence of what can be referred to as a worthy but unwritten charter that promotes peaceful disposition and mutual coexistence anchored on the rotation of the governorship seat among the three senatorial districts. There’s also a shared vision of having a state where each man will be free to dream dreams and pursue his goals to lead a good life unfazed by existential issues aggravated over the years by different macroeconomic policies inevitably induced by alternation of power by the two dominant political parties at the federal level.
Notwithstanding the aforementioned glowing features of our state, there’s a need to cater to any area or zone where there’s has been a cry of marginalisation. With the obvious democratisation of tertiary educational institutions in all the ethnic nationalities save for the Ukwuani-speaking area, it behoves the incumbent Governor to look into the lack of a state-owned institution in the aforementioned zone. Addressing the lack of such an institution in Ukwuaniland which probably emanated from inadvertence (not in the legal perspective anyway) of previous administrations will concretise Oborevwori’s avowal of being “a governor for all Deltans.” The location of a third campus of Delta State University (DELSU) in conformity with the extant law that made it a three-campus university or a College of Technology in any part of Ndokwa East, Ndokwa West, and Ukwuani local government councils will be welcome by the people.
All in all, Delta, our beloved state is firmly on the path of growth and what’s needed in the years ahead is articulating broad-based policies to diversify the economy of our state in such a way it can be practically weaned off undue reliance on Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) as its major source of revenue. With numerous urbanized local government headquarters besides Asaba and Warri, an abundant human capital base, sporting prowess, swathes of arable lands, and raw materials to catalyse industrialisation, Delta State has the potential of generating about two-thirds of its monthly FAAC allocation if the right atmosphere is put in place.
Let us all work in unison in the long-term interest of Delta State which has the capacity to attend the need of each of us as we look forward to becoming more prosperous in future.
