By Monday Uwagwu
Since creation on August 27, 1991 by the administration of the Evil Genius, then president Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, Delta, aptly tagged Nigeria’s Big Heart, or, more recently, the Finger of God (the latter is the creation of the administration of Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan), has been led by many individuals in military/police garb and in civilian clothing.
The police/military leaders of the state held office during the military era, (when their postings were regarded as purely military engagements), while the civilians have held office in the civilian era. In a chronological order of succession, the leaders of the state – both military/police and civilian – are:
(a) Group Capt. Luke Chijiuba Ochulor (fss, psc) (Aug 27, 1991 – Jan 2, 1992.
He was the pioneer leader of the state, following his appointment by the administration of Gen. Babangida. Ochulor laid the initial foundation for the development of the state and, quite understandably, faced many teething problems as a pioneer administrator operating from temporary structures, some of which were ranshackled.
He left office on January 2, 1992, following the inauguration of Chief Felix Ovudoroye Ibru as the first elected Governor of the state. Ibru, an architect of global reckoning, was elected on the ticket of the now defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) who had beaten his opponent, Prof. Eric Agume Opia,( who vied on the platform of the equally defunct National Republican Convention , NRC).
(b) Chief Felix Ibru (Jan 2, 1992 – Nov. 17, 1993). Olorogun Felix Ovudoroye Ibru was Delta State’s first elected civilian leader. He was in office for a little less than two years and is largely credited with the construction of the strategic Nnebisi Road, a major artery in the state capital, Asaba. He left office following the November 17, 1993 coup of General Sani Abacha, which dismantled all democratic structures in the country, thus making way for the return to military interregnum.
(c) Compol (Alhaji) Abdulkadir Shehu (Nov 20, 1993 – Dec. 12, 1993) Alhaji Abdulkadir Shehu, a Commissioner of Police (Compol) succeeded Chief Felix Ibru. His role was mainly to stabilise the state in the wake of the public angst against the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election (believed won by Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola of the SDP), the dismantling of all democratic structures in Nigeria, the effective overthrow of the Chief Ernest Shonekan administration- led Interim National Government (ING) and the return of full military rule to Nigeria.
Shehu was in office for roughly three weeks.
(d) Col. Bassey Asuquo (Dec 12, 1993 – Sept.23, 1994)
(e) Group Capt. Ibrahim Kefas (Sept 26, 1994 – Aug 27, 1996)
(f) Col. John David Dungs (Aug 27, 1996 – Aug 14, 1998)
(g) Navy Capt Walter Feghabor (Aug 14, 1998 – May 29, 1999)
(h) Chief James Onanefe Ibori : (May 29, 1999 – May 29, 2003 (1st term) and May 29, 2003 – May 27, 2007).
The tenure of Chief James Onanefe Ibori marked the return of civil rule in both the state and the rest of the country.
Aside of signposting the return of civil rule, the administration of Chief Ibori was famous for its extensive rehabilitation of public primary and secondary schools in the state, the massive recruitment of public officers, especially teachers, the establishment of many schools, including the College of Physical and Health Education (COPHE), Mosogar – and the three polytechnics at Ogwashi-Uku, Oghara and Ozoro, the last of which is now the Delta State University of Science and Technology (DSUST). It also constructed a plethora of top- grade infrastructural projects, including the strategic bridge at Omadino, the bridge across Ase creek and the navigational bridge across River Raymos at Bomadi.
Chief Ibori was also the architect and arrowhead of the resource control campaign under the aegis of which the people of the strategic Niger Delta (South-South), sought a greater say in the use of the proceeds of the lucrative crude oil deposits in their ancestral land.
(i) Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan: Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, from Abigborodo in Warri North local government area of the state, was elected, just as Chief Ibori before him, on the ticket of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2007 governorship poll. Uduaghan’s administration was anchored on a three-point agenda of peace, infrastructure and human capital development. He introduced reforms in the strategic health sector and implemented such revolutionary initiatives as free rural health care scheme, free maternal health care scheme for expectant mothers and free healthcare for under-five children. His administration established the School of Marine Technology (SMT), Burutu, and built a flyover bridge each in Asaba and Warri.
Uduaghan had two four-year terms of office, just like his predecessor in office, though the first four-year term had an interruption, following a Court of Appeal (Benin) ruling nullifying his election. The judgment enabled the then Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly (DTHA), Rt. Hon. (Prince) Sam Onyeka Obi, to hold forte as Acting Governor, between Nov. 10, 2010 and January 10, 2011). His wife, Roli Nere Uduaghan, ran the pet programme, I Care.
(j) Rt. Hon. (Prince) Sam Obi (Nov 10, 2010 – Jan 10, 2011), came into office as Acting Governor, following an Appeal Court ruling that torpedoed the administration of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan. By that singular action, Sam Obi became the only person to have led the state without being appointed by the military or elected directly as governor. His government, though short-lived, was typified by the rapid mobilization of contractors to attain set tasks and goals.
(k) Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa Elected into office on the ticket of PDP like his civilian predecessors in office, Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa was inaugurated into office on May 29, 2015, as the fourth directly elected civilian Governor of the state (after Chief Felix Ibru, Chief James Ibori and Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan). He came into office unfolding the operational code of his administration which is SMART Agenda (later Stronger Delta). Okowa, in the course of his administration, made some revolutionary moves in many sectors, including:
(i) Construction of more than 1,500km of roads in the first term and construction of storm water control projects in Asaba and Warri (ongoing).
(ii) Completion and operationlisation of Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba
(iii) Upgrade of College of Physical Education, Mosogar, to a full-fledge College of Education.
(iv) Creation and operationalisation of the Ministry of Technical Education.
(v) Establishment/operationalisation of the Delta State Board for Technical Education.
(vi) Initialing of power deals with Luxra Nigeria Ltd, Yutai Li Nigeria Ltd and Bastanchury Power Solution Nigeria Ltd.
(vii) Reopening/Establishment of more than 20 primary and secondary schools in the state.
(viii) Building of a new central secretariat (Prof Choke Edozien Secretariat) project to house ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) that were still in rented apartments;
(ix) Training and empowerment more than 10,000 youths under the aegis of the job and wealth creation office;
(x) Introduction and implementation of the Delta State Contributory Health Scheme;
(xi) Restoration of the State Sports Festival and making it an annual event;
(xii) Restoration of the Headmasters’ and Principals’ Cup Soccer Competition among primary and secondary schools in the state.
(xiii) Operationlisation of the Delta State Transport Management Authority;
(ixx) Reconfiguration of Delta Line to give a private sector investor-God is Good – 60 per cent equity shareholding and the state government 40 per cent.
(xx) Creation of Special Areas Development Agencies for Asaba, the state capital, and the Warri/Uvwie axis of the state for the purpose of their more coordinated and accelerated development, and
(xxi) Activation of the Department of Environmental Studies at Anwai Asaba Campus of Delta State University, (DELSU).
(xxii) Creation of three new state universities.
(L) Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori ( Since May 29, 2023): The Rt. Hon. Sheriff Francis Oborevwori came into office following his victory in the gubernatorial poll of that year and was inaugurated into office on May 29, 2923, as the direct successor to Dr. Ifeanyi Ozabor Okowa, whose right – year reign of two equal terms ended that day.
Oborevwori came into office with an impressive kitty of historic records: he is the first man of Okpe extraction to be the political leader of the state; is the only Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly (DTHA) to be elected Governor of the state; he remains the only man to be elected state governor during the pendency of his Speakership of the DTHA; he was the longest serving Speaker of DTHA and the only one to have served as Speaker I two assemblies of DTHA.
Besides, Oborevwori, at 61 Gregorian years, is the only elected leader of the state to have been born the same year the state (as part of then Mid West Region), was created by plebiscite in 1963. He came into office with his MORE Agenda and has, since his inauguration, taken certain initiatived that have began to shape and define his government. They include the historic award of N78billion worth of road and flyover bridge projects to giant construction firm, Julius Berger; the agreement between NNPCL, UTM Gas Ltd and the state government for the harvesting and utilisation of the abundant natural gas deposits in the state; the enabling of the Warri, Uvwie and Effurun Development Agency (WUEDA) with fund to more effectively exercise its mandate; the establishment of a campus of Delta State University of Science and Technology, DSUST, Ozito in Orerokpe; the establishment and operationalization of College of Health Technology in.Ovrode. in Isokoland; the payment of more than N5b in view of outstanding workers’ promotion entitlements; the payment of N10, 000 per month per person to it’s roughly 50, 000 strong work force over a three – month period to compensate for the hardship occasioned by the sudden removal of the subsidy regime on petrol; the operationalization of a new work schedule for non- critical public sector employees under which aegis they are entitled to stay off duty twice weekly; the completion of many ongoing road and other projects; the distribution of palliatives to the public to cushion the effects of the current economic hardship in the country and the provision of new operational vehicles for Permanent Secretaries in the state.
