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By Tony Eke

Two dates, August 27 and May 29 of the solar calendar, are strikingly significant in the evolution of Delta State and 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 benevolent exercise, which was preceded by similar acts of 1967, 1976, and 1987, is an outstanding legacy of prolonged military dictatorships, despite the criticism against the incursion of the armed forces into 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 semblance of a 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 successive leaders of our state would have been in abeyance.

So, each year, the anniversary of the creation of our state generates an abiding sense of belonging in us because our agitation was prolonged before the defunct Bendel State was split into two states and subsequently consigned to the dustbin of history. Prior to that, the former Midwestern Region was painfully left intact and caused to undergo mere changes in nomenclature unlike three other regions that gained incrementally from the alteration of the political structure initiated by the military leaders from 1967. That geopolitical entity was greatly endowed with material resources and a pool of quality human capital, but those enviable attributes ironically impeded the quests of younger persons to access various opportunities in federal institutions because of constitutional inhibition posed by 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 higher 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 made the rounds among my classmates in the Higher School Certificate (HSC) class at Government College, Ughelli in the tail end of the 1980s. But that fate was not peculiar to him. It also hindered other teenagers, few of whom temporarily walked the path of despondency. Yet, all that’s in the past to a large extent in our state!

While divergent opinions on the true state of Delta State will trail its thirty-third anniversary, 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 of the state in the intervening period of three decades.

No matter the schools of thought the category of discerning Deltans may belong to, there’s something we cannot deny: the inauguration of successive governors whose tenor of tenures as reflected in their vision, conception of policies, and execution of projects has enriched the people and the diverse geographical space. Although there’s no limit to an optimal performance in public office, it’s a fact acknowledged in many circles that Delta State has done well, generally speaking. Those visible achievements were driven by the visionary perspective of four men who were privileged to receive the mandates of the people at different times

While each governor essentially performed in relation to the emerging challenges of his own period, their election on the same party platform apparently brought some uniformity of ideas, especially the overriding importance of infrastructure emplacement, renewal, and consolidation, which we have seen over the years. In doing so, they were conversant with the invaluable exhortation of the philosopher 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.”

It was compelling for the first governor in the post-1999 years, Chief James Ibori, to deal with the the virtual lack of infrastructure in the state occasioned by the pestilential years of military rule. He 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 Bomadi with symbolic bridges and established three polytechnics, one college of education and school of health technology, and gave a facelift to the primary schools across the state.

Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan prioritized the pursuit of peace and unity, bolstered the health sector with free access to maternal and child care services and promoted the well-being of the youth, especially students that enjoyed subsidised fare whenever they boarded vehicles in the fleet of Delta Line. The most memorable initiative of Uduaghan administration was its award of postgraduate scholarships to first-class graduates of the state origin to study overseas. That visionary initiative would have greatly enriched our state in futuristic terms if it was sustained after his exit from power.

Uduaghan’s successor, 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, added to Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, have made access to university education relatively easy for our children unlike the aforementioned era of the 1980s.

The incumbent Governor Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori showed the stuff he’s made of 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. He has shown a robust commitment to continuity by ensuring completion of various projects left uncompleted or abandoned by his predecessors due to extenuating circumstances.

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 is free to dream dreams and pursue his goals of leading a good life in spite of existential issues aggravated in recent times by the change of macroeconomic policies induced by the alternation of power by the two dominant political parties at the federal level.

Notwithstanding the glowing features of our state, there’s a need to cater to any area or zone where there’s a genuine cry of marginalisation. With the establishment of tertiary educational institutions by the state in all the ethnic nationalities save for the Ukwuani-speaking area, it behoves the incumbent Governor to look into the absence of such an institution in this particular zone. Addressing the lack of an institution of higher learning in Ukwuaniland which may have emanated from the inadvertence of previous administrations will concretise Oborevwori’s avowal of being “a governor for all Deltans.” Siting either a third campus of DELSU in conformity with the extant law that makes it a three-campus university or establishing a new College of Technology in any part of Ndokwa East, Ndokwa West, and Ukwuani Local Government councils will be appreciated by the people.

All in all, Delta, our beloved state is firmly on the path of growth and what’s needed is articulating broad-based policies to diversify its economy so as to wean it off reliance on federal allocation as its major source of revenue. With the numerous urbanized local government headquarters besides Asaba and Warri, an abundant human capital base, acclaimed sporting prowess, swathes of arable land, and bounteous raw materials to catalyse industrialisation, Delta State has the potential of generating about two-thirds of its monthly financial receipt from Abuja if the right atmosphere is put in place.

Let us continue to work in unison in the long-term interest of Delta State and strengthen its capacity to attend to the needs of our people as we look forward to becoming more prosperous in future.

*Tony Eke, a journalist based in Asaba, Delta State capital, can be reached via tonek6819@gmail.com or on 08035504896(text only).