This Wednesday, May 24, the 7th Session of the Delta State House of Assembly would wind up with a valedictory sitting.
The Speaker, Rt Hon Elder Sheriff Oborevwori, would preside over the House for the last time in his two terms as he prepares to step up as Governor.
“Seeth thou a man diligent in his duties”, it is Sheriff. Resourceful, calm and calculated, he not only set a record as the longest-serving and only two-term Speaker the Assembly has produced, but with his deep understanding that governance is a team work and his insistence on the ultimate good of the people, he led the House with such maturity and focus that there was no rancour within and no friction with neither the Executive nor Judiciary arms of government.
Most remarkable is that, in his characteristic humility, he did not get carried away with the euphoria of having won election as the next Governor of the state such as to abandon his duties as Speaker. He worked diligently till his last day on the post.
His vision was as clear as his commitment was strong. In his words: “As lawmakers, it is our duty to respond to the yearnings and aspirations of Deltans through bills that drive growth, create jobs and improve livelihood.”
It was in this golden spirit that he has finished on a high with the delivery of very important bills in his last week, which His Excellency, our pace-setting Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has now signed into law.
The Bills include “The Delta State Development and Property Authority Bill and the Delta State Good Government and Accountability Bill.
The first clears the road for unencumbered investments in physical development across the state as it prohibits such social menaces that threaten private individuals, companies and institutional businesses.
The second regulates the financial conducts of government officials to ensure probity, transparency, accountability and international best practices in the management of our resources.
Others are the Delta State Sickle Cell Disorder Control Bill, 2023 which is to foster public health; the Delta State Creative Industry Development Bill, 2023, to promote the development of that strongly emerging sector of music, movies, art and entertainment; the Delta State Polytechnic, Burutu, Bill, 2023, and the College of Health Sciences and Technology Bill, 2023, both of which are not only intended to shore up the educational capacity of the state but also in critical areas of need.
While the High court (Amendment) Bill, 2023, as well as the Delta State Supplementary Appropriation Bill, 2023, are normal, not many seem to fully understand the import of the Delta State Thanksgiving Day Bill which was also passed into law.
The United States, Canada, parts of Australia, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and various other nations of the world also celebrate Thanksgiving Days or Holidays, set aside to, in the words of the sage President, Abraham Lincoln, “offer up the ascriptions justly due to Him (Almighty God), with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it (in consistence) with Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.”
It must be pointed out that leaders are not only to exercise the authority of power and law, good leaders must also be teachers and priests who inspire society to righteous living.
It is therefore very assuring to see our leaders ascend such level of spiritual awareness and responsibility to lead the people to God.
With these attributes and consciousness, Deltans can be sure that they are in good hands and on a strong foundation to climb higher grounds in social, economic, spiritual development, unity and peace under Sheriff Oborevwori.
