Dominic Adewole 
Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori march to Government House Asaba in 2023 was dogged with a lot of issues, many of which were legal battles, with over 10 legal battles from the lower court in the land to the Supreme Court, and a test of his personality and character.
Somehow, he triumphed and had since moved on without looking back with his M.O.R.E Agenda. Like a man in hurry to fulfill his destiny, he has laid his hands on the plough of advancing the Big Heart State and refused to be deterred by the naysayers.
Little wonder then that the much ‘the new Sheriff in town’, as he is fondly called by his numerous admirers, has earned him accolades and recognitions from different quarters within the state, Nigeria and outside the shores of the country, in over the last one year that he has been in saddle.
Awards
The litany of awards and recognition that have come his way include: Novena University, Ogume’s Honorary Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) in Public Policy and Strategy; ThisDay Newspapers ‘Man of the Year’; New Telegraph’s ‘Man of the Year’ in Infrastructure Delivery; ‘Man of the Year’ of the maiden NEHEMS (Nehemiahs)/the Campaign for Public Office in Nigeria (CAPOIN), a Non-Governmental Organisation Award.
The Commissioner for Public Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, who doubles as the Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads), said the governor has maintained steady fiscal discipline and deployed innovative approach to governance.
He said the governor inherited numerous projects many of them had been completed by him. According to him, “We thought we were alone in terms of observation of these giant strides of the governor, not knowing that even in far away, Lagos and Abuja, the editors of THISDAY and ARISE News, or rather the two media outlets, were also busy with their eagle eyes, taking copious notes.
The Daily Telegraph Newspapers, as watchdog, has spotted him with other Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) again and unveiled him as a worthy ambassador and servant leader.
Justification
Aniagwu disclosed that the governor has confounded the oppositions and done the greatest undoing to his detractors by the dint of the developmental strides that he has planted within his short stint in office.
He said, “If the opposition divide is asking our people of what we have done for them, I will remind people like Senator Ovie Omo-Agege that, in Ndokwa Nation, we have awarded no fewer than 15 kilometers of roads.
‘‘We have completed the Obi-Ibabu road which is over four kilometers awaiting inauguration. The NdemiliUtagba Uno road and the Eweshi – Utagba-Uno road are being pursued vigorously.
“We have also awarded a road in Amai, which has progressed to stone base; at Aboh in Ndokwa East, work is also ongoing. The Beneku Bridge has been completed and the governor has also awarded the construction of Asaba – Ase Bridge in Ndokwa East, linking Uzere in Isoko South.
“Whilst Omo-Agege was in the Senate, the few things he was able to attract, he took them near his father’s compound at Orhomuru.
Can he now compare himself to a man that is building bridges across the state to the extent that he doesn’t discriminate against members of the opposition parties in the state? “We all know, in this state that he didn’t work for President Tinubu; so, if he is thinking that by saying these things he would warm himself to President Tinubu, he needs to think again and take a different route.”
Aniagwu further disclosed that the governor directed all the commissioners to critically supervise their projects to ensure that Delta have value for money spent on projects.
On housing, the he said the governor has commenced the construction of 30 units of three bedrooms and 20 units of two bedrooms pilot phases in Ozoro, Kwale and Owa-Oyibu.
He currently runs four public universities in each of the three senatorial districts of the state. On healthcare delivery, the governor has renovated over 150 healthcare centres across the state and procured modern facilities at the Central Hospital Warri and Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH), Oghara.
Honoris causa
In recognition of his outstanding accomplishments in the governance of the state. Novena University, Ogume, spotted the governor and conferred an Honorary Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) in Public Policy and Strategy on him during the institution’s fifth combined (2018/2019 through 2023/2024) sessions convocation ceremony at its Amai Campus in Ukwuani Local Government Area of the state.
The Chancellor of the University, HRM King Alfred Diete-Spiff, supported by the Pro-Chancellor, Chuks Ochonogor and the ViceChancellor, Prof. Godwin Nduka, who said Novena University was a big lesson for the Nigerian state as exemplified by dint of hard work, by providing positive change in its immediate community, and Nigeria at large, as one of the leading private universities in Nigeria, urged the governor to consolidate on the progress made and ensure sustainability of his policies and programmes.
Highly elated, the governor, flanked by his Deputy, Sir Monday Onyeme, who was among the graduands, having earned the Master of Science Degree in Accounting, thanking the university for the recognition, said the honour was, “a motivation and a challenge to press forward in his vision to advance Delta State through his M.O.R.E Agenda.”
He said he had achieved so much through infrastructural renewal, comprehensive programmes of youth training, development, and empowerment, and the creation of a conducive business and investment environment for local and foreign direct investments.
“So far, we have recorded remarkable successes in advancing urban-rural integration through massive road construction as well as micro-credit and capacity building support for SMEs.
To date, over 200,000 persons have been given grants and various business support packages to help them over – come the prevailing economic challenges,” he said.
Survey
In a ‘lest we should be the last’, the governor was unveiled as the Man of the Year of the maiden NEHEMS – the Campaign for Public Office in Nigeria (CAPOIN), a NonGovernmental Organisation.
He topped the visibility/ demographic survey of the group and emerged among the three finalists, including the Senator, representing Delta North Senatorial District, Senator Ned Nwoko, and the handler of the oil and gas surveillance contract of the federal government, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, a.k.a Tompolo, as the winner.
The Executive Director of the organisation, Apostle Victor Sorokwu, a.k.a UgoAnioma, supported by his Delta Central Coordinator, Kenneth Orusi, his Independent Adviser, Churchill Oyowe, and two others, said the exercise was a feedback mechanism for people-oriented public servants or leaders.
He said, “We conducted the survey across the three senatorial districts of the state. Thirty persons were randomly selected through opinion polls. Twenty-seven were eliminated to arrive at the three finalists.
It was conducted to determine how our leaders are faring when given public office or responsibility to lead. “We painstakingly explored all possible possibilities to arrive at a transparent conclusion through demographic visibility and online voting.”
Opposition
However, the immediate past Deputy Senate President, Chief Ovie Omo-Agege, criticised the choice of the governor for the awards. He said the administration of the state under his watch has witnessed monumental failure.
He said the governor has been swimming and sinking in the ocean of inherited projects, misappropriated funds and billions of debts profile with tax-payers money and allocations to the state to the rescue.
But Aniagwu immediately placed a disclaimer. He maintained that the governor had completed numerous projects with the funds at his disposal, while he has also initiated new ones without borrowing to fund them.
He said, “Omo-Agege went through this path in 2023, even when Oborevwori had not become a governor; yet, Oborevwori defeated him in 21 out of the 25 local government areas. So, I thought the lesson of that defeat was enough for him to know the kind of criticisms he could embark upon.
“We do not have issues with some persons in opposition, particularly our brother and leader, Senator Ovie OmoAgege. We are not stopping them from playing politics or making constructive criticisms because it actually emboldens us to do more, but to begin to ask what we are doing and why we were given the award is, at best, seen as ‘Pepper-body’.
“We expect that if their state has been picked as making progress they should be happy. Trying to de-market the state because of personal interest is not in the interest of anybody.
We plead with Omo-Agege that he should be fair as he engages in politicking, which we are not ready for at the moment because we have a covenant with the people of Delta to deliver on the M.O.R.E Agenda with a view to advancing development in our state.
