By Fidelis Egugbo
POLITICS should be about the public interest, hence the people of Ndokwa ethnic nationality generally reaffirmed their unalloyed support for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) given its people-centric policies and programmes.
It is not merely a euphemism to state that Delta is PDP and PDP is Delta, but one area that has been regarded as a no-go -area for any other political party other than the PDP, is Ndokwa land, comprising Ndokwa West, Ndokwa East and Ukwuani local government areas of Delta State.
From the days of the defunct Midwest through then Bendel and now Delta State, the Ndokwa people have always asserted themselves confidently and with pride, especially politically. Why not? The area boasts of some of the largest oil and gas deposits in this part of the world and plays host to critical national assets like the Independent Power Plant, IPP, Okpai, which supplies a significant percentage of the power emptying into the national grid. Coming back home to Delta, the area is one of the most strategically located parts of the state and Nigeria at large. This is because, it is the only ethnic nationality that cuts through the state sharing boundary with Rivers, Bayelsa and Anambra on one side and with Edo State on the other side. Moreover, aside the large landmass, the area is equally blessed with a huge population and vast fertile land, which make the people to boldly demand for Ndokwa State whenever the issue of State creation is raised in the country – protagonists hold that an Ndokwa State to say the least, could be one of the most viable in the country if such comes into fruition. Today, Delta North Senatorial District largely boasts of huge oil and gas deposits primarily because of Ndokwaland.
Of recent, the member representing Delta North Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Prince Ned Nwoko, rekindled hopes in the agitation of an Anioma State coming into fruition and one point that he appears to be using to make his case is Ndokwa. His agitation is worth supporting by all Deltans as it will bring development closer to the people.
Imagine the governorship position rotating between Ndokwa, Ika and Aniocha/Oshimili; more so, more seats will be created for the House of Representatives and the Senate. Ndokwa, naturally, will have a Senator representing it, not to talk about the fact that the core Delta being agitated by some persons will automatically come to fruition with Warri, Ughelli and potential places becoming capital of state.
Of course, more local government areas will be created and one may have to see an Osubi, Onicha-Ukwuani, Ebologu, Ufuoma, Ubulu-Okiti, Cable Point and more local government areas coming out of the new states, thereby, creating more political space for elective positions and getting government closer to the people. All Deltans and Nigerians of goodwill should throw their weight behind Senator Nwoko of the PDP for an Anioma State to be born.
Making an Anioma State part of South East would even speed up the development of the Anioma State because most of our communities are dominated by our brothers and sisters from South East. In short, the people of South East are more comfortable living in Asaba and its environs than the South East geopolitical zone, and most of the successful businesses in Asaba can be linked to South Easterners.
My friend will also, ask, “What is in a name?” Certainly, we will fare better as a people in South East than what we had in Mid-West and Bendel unless someone is telling me that the River Niger would be sand-filled after placing Anioma to make up the states of the South-East region.
Therefore, all Ndi-Igbos, all Deltans, including their governments, should support Senator Nwoko for such to materialize as it may be the only state that may be coming the way Bendel State was also created – without military fiat.
Over the years, the governorship position has eluded the people of Ndokwa right from the days of Midwest but the people have not rested on their oars as they believe that he who joined in cooking the food should be among those to decide who eats from it when is being shared.
It was, therefore, a thing of joy that, in 2023, their agitation to be on the dining table paid off when a renowned educationist, a tax czar, a financial crime buster, a revenue mobilizer, a philanthropist par excellence and a grassroot political juggernaut, Sir Monday Onyeme, FCA, was chosen as the Deputy Governor of Delta State. The euphoria of producing the number two citizen of the state is still in the air in Ndokwa land as the people believe that even if it will take another 16 years, for such to be achieved, there is hope that one day, the people will not be crying about marginalization as they will decide the “sharing formula.” As we were about embarking on campaign for the PDP candidates for the forthcoming local government elections, a chief who is also a successful businessman asked me at Kwale, “Fidelis, what are we going to campaign with?”
Obviously, his focus was on physical infrastructure and my mind went to the multi-billion naira bridge which the Delta State Government is constructing across the Ase Creek which had brought to an end the use of Pontoon- with its attendant risks across the river ferrying the equipment of oil companies that hardly give back to their host communities.
Again, within the past one year, a road leading to Ibabu, the home town of Deputy Governor Monday Onyeme, had been completed, among other several projects.
One of the major areas that people hardly look at as a dividend of democracy is job creation. Within the past one year, more than 3,000 teachers and others have been employed by the administration of Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori.
The multiplier benefit of employing qualified teachers, especially for the primary schools is enormous – that is where the character of individuals are moulded and their mindset prepared for the future.
Also, the Oborevwori administration is reputed to have assisted a lot of persons to be positively engaged through different empowerment programmes. Above all, there is relative peace in the state with more measures in place to ensure that investors in the state get quick returns on their investments. In this regard, Nedogas Processing Plant and the Kwale Gas Gathering Facility, were recently inaugurated at Kwale which was a clear evidence that investors are seeing Delta as a safe haven for their investments. So, on Tuesday, July 2, 2024, the people of Ndokwa ethnic nationality came out to attend PDP rallies at Aboh, Ndokwa East Local Government and Kwale, Ndokwa West Local Government Area. The excitement was palpable and the Deputy Governor of Delta State, Sir Monday Onyeme, FCA, was beaming with smiles that his people were happy with the administration of Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori.
Ordinarily, it was expected that, in Ndokwaland, it would be PDP all the way. This is because, apart from Deputy Governor Onyeme, Chief Godwill Obielum, Rear Admiral Mike Onah, OON, Chief Fidelis Okenmor Tilije, Dame Esther Uduehi and such personalities as Hon. Nnamdi Ezechi, Hon. Charles Emetulu, Chief Festus Ochonogor, just to mention a few, are people who speak and the generality of the people will listen.
Sir Onyeme, during the campaigns, thanked the people of Ndokwa and all other Deltans for supporting Governor Oborevwori, and, by extension, the PDP. He underscored the fact that the administration of Governor Oborevwori was doing a lot for the state through the execution of the MORE Agenda and urged the people not to relent in their support for the state government.
Chairman of the PDP in the state, Olorogun Kingsley Esiso, expressed surprise at the huge turnout of people at the rallies, noting that “Ndokwa is truly, home to PDP.”
Chief Obielum, who recently lost his mother, Mrs Victoria Ossai Obielum, to the cold hands of death, left his residence in Asaba despite the fact that sympathisers from different parts of the world were visiting to condole with him, to attend the rally and, in his speech, he said that the rally was a formality as the people will vote massively for the party.
Some of those who spoke at the rallies included Hon. Nnamdi Ezechi, Dr Kingsley Ashibogwu, Barr. Sam Osasa, Ogbuefi Lucky Okuji, among others.
It would be recalled that Deputy Governor Monday Onyeme attended the PDP rallies at Obiaruku, Isiokolo, Asaba and several other places, and, this weekend, he went local, joining the Ndokwa West local government campaign train at Ndemili, Etua, Utagba-Uno. And on Saturday, the Ward-to-Ward campaign was capped with a rally at the Deputy Governor’s Ward, Onicha-Ukwuani, Ward 5, where he categorically expressed confidence that his people and Deltans in general would give 100 per cent votes to the candidates of the PDP in the July 13, 2024 local government elections in the state.
It is instructive to note that while the PDP is moving from one local government area to another, ward to ward and unit to unit campaigning, looking out for dissenting voices to convince them to vote for the PDP, there is no evidence that there is any other political party equally stridently campaigning for their candidates for the local government Council polls in the state. Hopefully, when the party emerges victorious, the opposition should abide by the advice of the Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori when he said that all politicians should simply play by the rules.
As the governor puts it, “as the state moves towards the forthcoming local government elections, we should play politics according to the rules and be tolerant of all divergent views no matter how diametrically opposed they may be to those we hold so dear. “The beauty of democracy is that it has in-built mechanisms to address all real or imagined cases of injustice. “We should use all the institutional frame work offered by democracy to handle our differences.”
Governor Oborevwori spoke on Friday, during the presentation of Staff of Office to Pa Edward Isama Ofuezuem, the Okpala-Uku of Obikwele, Ndokwa East Local Government Area of the state. He was represented at the occasion by his Deputy, Sir Monday Onyeme, FCA.
The advice by the governor was very timely, about one week to the local government elections and we believe that all Deltans, especially, the gladiators, will play by the rules.
Election is not a do- or- die affair, and, according to former President Goodluck Jonathan, a political office is not worth the life of anybody. So, the clarion call us that it should be devoid of any form of violence or undemocratic practices.
Collectively, we can make the state better; it is not a state that belongs exclusively to Governor Oborevwori or Sir Onyeme to govern. We are all stakeholders and if the state is good because we are encouraging the government to succeed, all of us will have reasons to thank God, a state of our dream is achievable; it is for us to think positive and engage in positive activities for our common good. With Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori and Sir Monday Onyeme delivering on the MORE Agenda for Deltans, it can only be better. God bless Delta State.
**Egugbo is Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori**
