Mike Ebonugwo
14 June 2008
interview
Lagos — Mr. Oma Djebah is the commissioner for information, Delta State. In an interactive session with the media, Djebah shed light on the achievements of the administration of Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan as governor of Delta State in the last one year. Sunday Vanguard was there.
IT is now one year since Governor Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan assumed office. As the commissioner for information, how would you access the administration's performance so far?
In Delta State I can assure you one thing. This is the fact that the administration of Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, though barely one year old, has recorded some impressive performances. This has made the last one year a glorious beginning in the fulfilment of an electoral mandate which took off on May 29, 2007. Six months into the life of this administration, I had written an article detailing the progress the governor had made in so short a time after his swearing into office.
To underscore this, Dr. Uduaghan presented the 2008 Appropriation Bill before the state House of Assembly which he tagged 'Budget of Consolidation and Hope' and that action pointed to the fact that a lot awaited Deltans as I took the world on a cursory excursion of what the government in Delta State would be consolidating upon in the last one year.
Since assumption of office, the Uduaghan administration has, in several ways, demonstrated its unflinching capacity and determination towards fulfilling the governor's campaign promises anchored on his three-point agenda of peace and security, human capital development as well as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) programmes as contained in its election manifesto. Don't forget, because Governor Uduaghan's vision and mission for building a greater Delta was well articulated and carefully focused in the right direction, the efforts have since begun to yield results.
This developmental tripod is not only very popular among Deltans at home and abroad but also fully accepted and internalised. In fact, as I speak to you, this has been accepted as the road map for building a greater Delta State that all would be proud of. Governor Uduaghan has meticulously deployed this vision with foresight and steely focus and has rolled out well thought-out details and components that are already making the dream a reality.
Though like what exists in every human society, including corporate America which is regarded as the most powerful nation in the world, there are challenges that beset this administration when it came on board. These were painful hurdles that would have thrown any inexperienced, tactless and unserious-minded administrator off balance. But I am not surprised that they did not in the case of Dr. Uduaghan.
By the grace of God, Governor Uduaghan, being an experienced, dynamic andwell-focused public sector player of many years, especially being a first class medical doctor, immediately set to work, mobilising all to join him in the task of building a greater Delta State. And to the glory of God, the successes recorded in the three critical areas of governance, peace and security, human capital development and infrastructure development in Delta State - are eloquent testimony to the dynamism, uprightness and untainted vision of the workaholic Governor Uduaghan.
Are you saying that the governor has laid a solid foundation so far?
So far, the only logical argument or position any thorough-minded student of public administration, not just me,as the spokesperson of government, would arrive at is that Governor Uduaghan has laid a solid and firm foundation which is reflected in the prevailing peace and security in the state. Having laid a solid foundation for peace and security, he is now building on other areas like human capital and infrastructure development.
Let us look at the peace and security situation of the state. Has the administration been able to handle the volatile status of the Niger Delta region, given the fact that the state accounts for over 30 per cent of the nation's total oil and gas output?
Well, I will prefer to look at the situation under the context of Delta State and its peculiarities. In less than 48 hours after his swearing-in, Dr. Uduaghan constituted and inaugurated the Delta Waterways Security Committee with the mandate of monitoring and gathering intelligence on activities in the riverine areas of the state.
Don't forget that these areas are considered to be the hotbed of the restiveness and militancy that has bedeviled the Niger Delta region for long. And with hard work and peace-building initiatives of the governor, it is to the credit of this proactive step that the Delta State has witnessed relative peace with no record of hostage-taking, disruption of production activities and militancy in recent times. Added to the activities of this committee is the direct intervention of the governor himself in trouble-shooting and peace-building initiatives.
There are many examples where Governor Uduaghan had dug into the creeks himself and sometimes with very little security detail all in a bid to inspire and sustain confidence with the youths. For instance, when some youths of Ugborodo threatened to disrupt the activities of Chevron over disagreement over MoU entered between the America company and the host community, Dr. Uduaghan suspended other pressing state schedules and dug into the creeks himself to broker peace.
By that timely action, he successfully starved off what could have been a serious breakdown of law and order in the area.
Such direct interventions by the governor have helped to strengthen regular reach-out strategies through constant dialogue, mediation and conciliation. Another significant step by the Uduaghan administration that has contributed to the consolidation of peace and security in the state is regular funding of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC). The dedication of 50 per cent of derivation revenue accruing to the state to the commission has given oil-bearing communities a great sense of belonging.
The general feeling currently prevailing across the state is that the governor is systematically redressing cries of marginalisation and neglect. All these have attested to the Dr. Uduaghan's character as a leader guided by the attributes of fairness, equity and justice. The people of Delta are happy. They are grateful. They appreciate his vision and mission of building a greater Delta. If you found time to watch a documentary on AIT and DBS entitled 'Uduaghan: 365 Days of Sights and Strides' you will appreciate what the elite, traditional rulers, youths, and the Deltan on the street say about the governor.
This has never been the case. In fact, the other day, a friend of mine from the UN, New York called and narrated how he saw dramatic infrastructure changes in Warri on a recent visit. He was so impressed that he could move around freely at night throughout the city as every where was lighted up courtesy of the streetlight project of the Dr. Uduaghan administration.
Tell us about the economic direction of the Uduaghan administration?
The governor's economic blueprint for Delta State is anchored on an ambitious and very realistic integrated development programme that would make Delta the economic hub of Nigeria and, indeed, the West African sub-region. As I speak to you, a Bill is already before the state assembly to set up the Delta Integrated Development Agency (DIDA), and let me use this opportunity to commend the speaker and honourable members of the House for the immense support and cooperation they have given Governor Uduaghan since the inception of this administration.
The governor has a plan to holistically develop the state through diversification of the economy under the public-private partnership arrangement. That is why there has been a lot of emphasis on developing Koko, Sapele, Warri and Burutu ports and a plan to build a brand new one on the 26km stretch coastline. And I can assure you that this can take at least four deep seaports and will thus become the quickest route in and out of Nigeria. Another very important aspect of Governor Uduaghan's economic plan is to make Delta State the choice destination in the area of gas exploration and exploitation which is why the state is keying into the national gas masterplan being promoted by the federal ministry of energy (gas).
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