5th June, 2024
Of League of “Unpatriotic” Deltans and The Syndrome of Chronic Political Jaundice
Our attention has been drawn to the advertorial in the Vanguard Newspaper of Monday, June 3, page 29, by an obnoxious group which calls itself League of Delta Patriots.
Titled “Open Letter To Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori One Year In Office….”, it was, at best, mere childish mischief and futile effort in disinformation.
By mischievously suggesting that there is “nothing to celebrate or smile about” in the first year anniversary of Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori in office, they betrayed the fact that they are pitifully uninformed on the demands of good governance and also amnestic about the rapid and ongoing developments brought to bear by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori towards the advancement of Delta State.
Ordinarily, their ranting is undeserving of our reply, but as a responsive and responsible party that places great premium on accountability, we shall proceed to do so in the interest of the public.
Their key assertion was that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori had not initiated nor completed any project of his own across the three Senatorial Districts, 12 months after his assumption of the leadership of the State.
While this assertion is simply a huge falsehood, unbecoming of any true Deltan, it reminds one of the Biblical reference that “some persons have eyes but cannot see, they have ears but cannot hear.”
Their thoughts flow from their confusion and misguided notion that unless a Governor completes only projects particularly initiated by his administration and done in his name, he cannot be said to have done well.
For the avoidance of doubt, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori made it abundantly clear, at his inauguration, that he will pursue inherited projects from previous administrations to their logical conclusion, while also initiating new ones.
Perhaps, this is where the critics need to be educated and be delivered from their infantilism.
Government is a continuum. Various administrations initiate various projects. At the end of each tenure, some of the projects are completed while others are left at different levels of completion, to be inherited by new administrations.
The inherited projects by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori were initiated and began with State funds to serve our communities, and the people have expectations of their completion, to serve their needs and give greater meaning to their lives.
It is therefore only responsible to continue with such projects and bring them to completion. Conversely, to abandon them and focus on just new ones, merely for self glorification, amounts to a waste of already expended State resources and a betrayal of the trust of the people. Thankfully, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori is above such base, timid, and primitive sentments.
Accordingly, Deltans have been very pleased to see the vigor with which he has pursued the completion of the inherited projects.
Indeed, it was a beauty to see the Olu of Warri drive into Ode-Itsekiri, for the first time in the history of Iwere Kingdom, made possible by the faith Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has kept towards the completion of the Trans Warri-Ode Itsekiri Project, in which 15 out of the 19 bridges in the 27km project have been completed.
It is with the same joy that the people of Beneku welcomed the renewed work on the Beneku Bridge which connects Ndokwa East and Ndokwa West, effectively terminating the era of pontoon and providing greater access to various riverine communities for increased economic and commercial activities.
This is perhaps what the so-called League of Delta Patriots do not wish to see happen in the State.
The experience is the same on the completion of the Isheagu-Ewulu Road and bridge in Aniocha South LGA, the Bedeseigha Bridge connecting Bomadi and over four other Local Government Areas and into Bayelsa State, and the Emevor-Orogun Road, to mention just a few.
It is needless to state how pleased Deltans are with the renewed and high spate of work on the Ughelli-Asaba Road Dualisation project, which completion they have been yearning for.
The progress achieved under one year on the project, especially on the Ughelli/Isoko axis and the Obo Bridge in Ogwashi-Uku, only speaks to Sheriff Oborevwori’s character as a Governor with immense commitment to the good of his people.
But, like Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori promised, it has not been about completing only inherited projects, as the critics have falsely stated.
In the first year, he has also initiated 76 new road projects of over 171 kilometers, with some completed and ready for inauguration, while others are at various stages of completion.
There are also various other new projects and programmes in the health, education, agricultural and social sectors.
One of the new road projects is the Adagbrasa-Ugolo-Ukuodiete Road connecting the Warri-Sapele Highway to the Ughelli-Patani Highway on the East-West Road in Agbarho, initiated and completed within the one year, and ready for inauguration.
Except for mischief, the writers cannot also claim to be unaware of the initiation of the reconstruction of Upper/Lower Erejuwa Roads, Esisi road, College Road, Hospital Road, a number of adjoining roads in the Ogunu area and various other internal roads in Warri, Uvwie and environs, or the internal roads in the riverine communities of Kurutie, Okenrenkoko and others, various link roads connecting the East-West Highway in Ughelli popularly called the Ughelli Ring Road project, the Okpanam-Ibusa Bypass, the Ibusa Road from Koka Flyover into Asaba city and many more.
While it may be said that his flagship project is the three flyover bridges, cloverleaf and road expansions worth N78 billion initiated for the infrastructural and urban renewal of Warri, Uvwie and environs, which has brought construction giant, Julius Berger, to work for the State government for the first time, it was made clear that the projects will take 27 months to deliver, and the work is steadily going on, with funding secured for them with Irrevocable Standing Payment Order, ISPO.
The strategy of instituting ISPOs to guarantee funding for major projects speaks volumes for Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori’s sense of strategy.
The writers also displayed even greater immaturity by suggesting that it amounts to interference for the Governor to be hands on in monitoring and supervising the various projects and programmes of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies of his government.
This is at best a failed attempt to create disaffection in the Public Service of the State, but they also betrayed their inconsistency of thought by recognizing that the failure or success of any administration starts and stops at the Governor’s table.
That being correctly so, how can they then suggest that the Governor should not keep his eyes open on the activities of the ministries of his government?
This is a no-brainer and just a devilish advocacy obviously sponsored by persons who wish that the Governor should be careless to allow corrupt practices to thrive.
The writers, in the same vein, also tried to suggest that contractors in Delta State are suffering over non-payment.
What can be further from the truth? The State Government under has been paying contractors who are committed to the jobs awarded to them. No contractor who has done his job is being starved of funds.
Only recently, in recognition of the inflationary trend in the national economy, the Delta State Executive Council approved the upward review of various contracts to provide operative comfort for the contractors. This could only have been presided over by a Governor who is clearly sensitive to the challenges of all stakeholders in the business of the development of the state.
As he puts it, it is such that at the end, the contractors will deliver according to specifications, their business is sustained, and the people derive benefits from the projects.
Notwithstanding, he has made it clear that substandard jobs will not be accepted, and it is obvious that the writers are also advocating on behalf of contractors who may have expected that they could have their way with uncompleted or substandard jobs, but we are sorry to say that this is not obtainable under Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori’s watch.
The writers also went further to try to cause disaffection within the Peoples Democratic Party by suggesting that the recent primaries for the election of its candidates in the forthcoming Local Government elections were faulty.
In this meddlesomeness, they also betrayed the foundation upon which they wrote, clearly as opposition elements still dazed by the crushing defeat they suffered at the last governorship elections and, still afraid of the PDP, are cooking every propaganda to cause disaffection in its ranks.
Most laughable was the suggestion that the process sidelined women and youths, while on the contrary, the party took democratic measures to ensure the attainment of 30 percent space for women Councillorship candidates in all the 25 LGAs, a wider space for women in the Chairmanship and Vice Chairmanship race, while it also encouraged persons over 60 years to give room for younger candidates in the Local Government processes.
While this level of affirmation is unprecedented in the annals of political party management in Nigeria, we can also see that the opposition party, still sulking from its defeat, has remained disorganized and afraid of going into the coming LGA elections. This clearly underlies the baying of this League of Unpatriotic Deltans.
PDP! Power to the People!!
Signed:
Engr. Dan Ossai.
State Secretary,
PDP, Delta State.
