By Olisa Ifeajika
When, a few days ago, former Speaker of Delta House of Assembly, Victor Ochei, asserted that immediate past Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, had since successfully produced Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori as his successor, he had not allowed him to breathe, he (Ochei) unwittingly handed Deltans a metaphor to ponder. It is commonly said, and rightly so, that the wish of every father is for his child to outdo him in deeds.
That is the picture I see in Delta State today. I see a prepared Governor Oborevwori with his hands firmly on the plough, and following his mind, delivering sublime dividends to the people. I’m not seeing a governor struggling to be free and perhaps, independent in deciding or doing what his mind prompts him to do for the people.
A pointer here – if Okowa as governor and indeed, his predecessors, could not bring construction giant, Julius Berger, to handle projects in Delta during their respective tenures, and Governor Oborevwori broke that jinx by being able to bring the company to the State, since 2023, to handle star projects, to the delight and applause of Deltans at home and the Diaspora, then, not allowing the governor to breathe is acceptable.
And, if Okowa’s refusal to allow the governor to breathe has engendered the extension of the frontiers in education facilities in the state with the establishment of Orerokpe campus of Southern Delta University, then that is the kind of interference that the state desires – one that benefits society. It deserves applause instead of criticism because every addition to existing tertiary institutions in the state, multiplies opportunities for the youth, stimulates local economies, and strengthens human capital which supports a developing society.
The Trans-Warri/Ode-Itsekiri road that has 15 bridges provides yet another instance. Conceived during Chief James Ibori’s tenure, effective work began under Emmanuel Uduaghan, work advanced significantly during Okowa’s tenure, and now made ready and awaiting inauguration by Sheriff Oborevwori; the narrative on the project presents governance as a collaborative relay race instead of repeated attempts to pull down what already exists. If encouraging the governor to complete the project approximates not allowing him to breathe, Deltans are the arbiter. Same sentiments go for the completed Ughelli-Asaba dual-carriage highway.
Around Orere and its environs, where remoteness denominated in hard-to-access communities strangled daily existence, the bridge across the river that is nearing completion, but already being plied by vehicles, is going to unlock commerce, mobility, and provide other huge benefits, including human dignity in thelandscape. If such results stem from Okowa’s alleged meddling in governance in the state, I am certain that many Deltans would want it to continue.
Delta was not only one of the first three states to adopt the new minimum wage, but one of the two paying the highest rates, above the prescribed N70,000. Permanent Secretaries’ remuneration was also upgraded, and so was Widows’ Welfare Scheme increased from ₦5,000 to ₦15,000 monthly for more than 10,000 beneficiaries. Do these not testify to a government sensitive to real issues? Yet, Ochei maliciously and enviously tried to denigrate Governor Oborevwori as dependent on his predecessor, Okowa, to function.
A recent history of politics in the state tells of the high-wired acrimonies that greeted the emergence of Oborevwori as governor in 2023. The rancour tampered with the beautiful relationship between James Ibori and Okowa, making it so frosty that Oborevwori became vicariously involved. But today, the three men are back on the same table and page, in the interest of the state. Does this come across to Ochei as Okowa not allowing the governor to breathe?
The milestones in healthcare delivery under Oborevwori speak for themselves. The building of new and upgrading of primary health facilities, acquisition of cutting-edge equipment for MRI, CT Scan and Dialysis services in major tertiary facilities in the state are highlights. If it takes Okowa not allowing the governor to breathe for him to record these successes, methinks the suffocation should be sustained.
What will Ochei attribute the plethora of awards that Oborevwori has received from public and private organisations for his outstanding performances in different spheres of governance to? The latest is the rating of Delta as second-best governed State in the country. If Okowa’s “guidance” is helping the governor to attain these heights that are proudly being acknowledged across the country and beyond, then Ochei must admit that not-being-allowed-to-breathe is good, after all.
What this chapter in Delta’s story shows is that genuine independence in office lies not in rejecting helpful guidance, but in embracing whatever sustains concrete advancement for the people.
Ochei reportedly boasted in his recent outburst concerning the nostalgic 2014 governorship contest against Okowa in the PDP primary election, that he possessed funds that Okowa had never seen. This raises fair questions, especially in the backdrop of the known fact that the closest he got to wealth before moving into politics was his boutique by Federal Medical Centre in Asaba, which he complemented with office-to-office vending of the clothing. Succinctly, the source of the funds he reportedly mouthed, acquired largely while in political offices, especially as Speaker of the House of Assembly, is common knowledge. We also know how often he and his cohorts were guests of the anti-graft agencies.
Take home for Ochei here is that while he was busy amassing wealth for himself, Okowa was focused on using his positions in service to serve and uplift the people. If Okowa’s guiding influence continues to yield such fruit, then let it persist unabated, for in those pragmatic hands, we find the oxygen that keeps the state’s progress breathing freely.
Ochei, rather than engage in mud-slinging, should go and develop a template on the representation he intends to give Delta North people.
Let Okowa and Oborevwori breathe.
