Two weeks ago, former governor of Dela State, His Excellency, Dr Emmanuel Ewetan Uduaghan turned 70. Wao! In this clime, where the life expectancy is bellow 50, for one to clock 70, and still be strong, hale and hearty calls for some celebrations and thanksgiving to God, isn’t it? And that is why Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan is our personality for this week.
At 70, have you met him recently to compare his look with how he looked years back when he was the governor of the State? Well, for the benefit of those who may not have had the privileged of seeing or meeting with him lately, the man has gained some more weight; I mean, he has ‘padded up’ with more flesh, and looking robust and more relaxed than ever. Thanks to leaving the Government House, with it’s attendant ‘wahala’ that comes with being a State Governor. “Nor bi mai mai at all, my brother.” The man, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan ‘don puff up’, looking 50. Thanks to God and possibly, good care.
Anyway, don’t mind me, let’s get down to the main issue. The man, Dr Uduaghan marked his 70th birthday with encomiums from family members, friends, admirers and political associates. So many good things were said of him, eulogising him and recalling some of the good things he did as the Executive Governor of Delta State. I read some of them in the newspapers, heard some on Television and radio, and even on the socio media. My brother, so much was said about this man; they were sweet and reassuring that he meant different things to different people, depending on their perception of him. Even the Delta State gov, His Excellency, Rt Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori spoke glowingly of him.
But, of all the good things that were said about him on that day, and s few days after, the one that touched me most, I mean, the one that meant so much to me, was the heart-felt tribute from his first cousin, and also a one time Executive Governor of Delta State, a political colossus, the political juganut of our time and the Odigboigbo of Africa, His Excellency, Olorogun Chief James Onanefe Ibori. He is the man with a large heart and the great mobilizer of human and material resources.
Now, let me give you the privileged of reading Chief Ibori’s emotional tribute to his cousin, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan at 70. It goes like this:
Brother Emma,
Seventy years! As I pen these words, I am filled with nostalgia for our early days growing up in the backwaters of Mosogar and Ogharefe, and joy for the remarkable man you have become—a statesman. Your journey as a brilliant professional and accomplished medical doctor, coupled with your achievements as a public servant and later as Governor of Delta State, places you firmly among the ranks of distinguished elder statesmen. Congratulations! I am truly honored to call you my elder brother.
Looking back to our early years, I can still see your steady hands helping me find my balance as I learned to stand and walk. I remember following in your footsteps around our neighborhood, and our days as young pupils, navigating a primary school that lacked proper staffing. Those formative experiences clearly shaped your lifelong commitment to caring for the underprivileged. Life soon took you on a different path—secondary school, University, internship, and your eventual calling as a fully-fledged medical doctor. Each step led you farther from our daily life together, but somehow brought us closer in understanding. Even when politics seemed to create distance between us, our bond remained unshaken. You proved this beyond doubt when you served in my cabinet and as Secretary to the Delta State Government, working alongside your colleagues to help shape what many now regard as Delta State’s golden era. As you celebrate this milestone, I thank God for blessing me with a brother like you. While our blood ties made us cousins, your love and guidance made us brothers. Through every season, you have been my friend, my ally, and my “little father.” May your 70th year bring you the same joy and light you have brought into my life, and may God continue to bless you abundantly.
With deep love and gratitude, James Onanefe Ibori, Governor Delta State 1999-2007.
Isn’t that emotional indeed? Well, haven read that, let’s take a look at the man, Emmanuel Uduaghan himself.
Information in the public domain has it that, growing up, his focus was to become an Accountant. The potential for leadership that had been identified during his formative years was expected to propel him towards top position in the corporate world. But, fate intervened and the young Emmanuel went in to study Medicine, after his secondary school education at the Federal Government College, Warri, Delta State.
Born on October 22, 1954 to Chief Edmund and Mrs. Cecilia Uduaghan, his
father was Itsekiri from Abigborodo, in Warri North Local Government Area of the State, and the mother was Ishan from Ubiaja, in Esan South-East of Edo State. The mixed parentage was to play a large role, and indeed accounted for what would be recognized as Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan’s amenable and open-minded disposition to all men, especially in a multi-ethnic setting like Delta State.
His cosmopolitan outlook was also influenced by his student school days at the Federal Government College, Warri, one of the initiatives of the Federal Government towards building unity across the country. While in the school, he came across Nigerians from all parts of the country, a scenario that informed his disposition to looking at human beings and issues with a broad-based outlook.
By the time he gained admission into the University of Benin to study Medicin in 1975, the young Emmanuel Uduaghan had set his mind towards achieving the best in the profession, having been influenced by his father to jettison his initial choice to study Accountancy.
He qualified as a medical doctor in 1980 and did the compulsory one year National Youth Service in Kwara State. Interestingly, his enthusiasm for service quickly manifested in the first year of his qualification as he was honoured as the most outstanding medical doctor in the set of medical doctors posted to the state in that service year.
After the national service, he was employed by the Delta Steel Company, DSC, Aladja where he also distinguished himself in service to the extent that he was honoured with the General Manager’s prize for Outstanding Service. His dedication to duty also propelled him in the hierarchy of the organisation as he was, within six years of his employment, promoted to the position of Senior Medical Officer, a feat that was as at that time, unprecedented.
He subsequently disengaged from the services of the Medical Centre of the DSC to establish a private medical facility, named Abode Clinic. It was named after his grandmother, under whom he grew up in Mosogar, Delta State. The legacy of the grandmother who took the young Emmanuel on his first day to the Baptist Mission Primary School was finally crystallised.
Dr. Uduaghan had by this began to indicate interest in politics and trade unionism, having served as Secretary, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Warri, and also as Secretary, Association of Private Medical and Dental Practitioners, Warri Zone.
His first contact with partisan politics was in the run up to the National Assembly elections of 1992 when he helped in mobilising support for his cousin, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, who stood as a candidate in that election. Chief Ibori lost that election.
At the restart of partisan politics in 1998, Dr Uduaghan joined the Grassroots Democratic Movement, GDM, and following the death of General Sanni Abacha, and the collapse of that democratisation process, he joined the newly formed Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
He was appointed Commissioner for Health in the cabinet of former Gov James Ibori at the advent of the Fourth Republic in 1999, and held that position for the four years of the regime. His efforts in that office crystallised in the modernisation and rehabilitation of most of the hospitals in Delta State.
His efforts were recognised by the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, which honoured him as the best performing Commissioner for Health in the South-South geopolitical zone.
He was, thereafter, appointed Secretary to the State Government at the commencement of the second term of the Gov James Ibori’s administration in June, 2003. His election as governor of Delta State, in 2007, was, perhaps a reward for his dedication to service as Secretary to the State Government.
Among his legacies as Governor was the encouraging access to education and the boost in education infrastructure in the State that saw the commissioning of 13 Model Secondary Schools, 54 Model Primary Schools and the enhancement of the intellectual fibre of students through incentives like the N5 million per year post-graduate package for Firs Class graduates.
Added to this was his maternal and child health initiative that paid for a baby’s total well-being from conception to the age of five, which helped to drastically reduce the infant mortality rate in the state to 545 in 100,000 births in 2007 when he took over office to 241 deaths in 100,000 births in 2012.
It is also on good record that, his administration as Governor saw to the establishment of one of the best health infrastructure in the country, as evidenced by the state-of-the-art Oghara Teaching Hospital, in Oghara.
Also on good record was his legacy in sports, as Delta State was unarguably the foremost state in sports development.
To the credit of his administration was his Delta Beyond Oil Vision and policy, which propelled the state to invest heavily in Agriculture in view of the anticipated dwindling revenue from oil.
This policy, to a great extent helped to absolve the State from the shock from fluctuating oil revenue at that time.
The policy, framed as Delta Beyond Oil encapsulated the three cardinal philosophy that was the hallmark of the Uduaghan administration at inception, namely: Human Capital Development, Infrastructure Development and Peace and Security.
In recognition of his visionary leadership in office as Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan was the choice of Vanguard newspaper, thus, honouring him as “The Man of the Year, 2013”.
