Governor Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan
with Eddy Odivwri
In 41 days, Governor Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan will be referred to as former governor of Delta State. And he will go down in record as the third elected executive governor of the state.
His has been a chequered stretch of governance in the state. Both his ascension to the throne, the period of governance and his stepping down from office have been full of histrionics.
There is a refrain in a favourite Christian hymn (Fading Away Like the Stars of the Morning) which says… “Let us remember, Let us remember, what they have done...”
He came with a trinity of programmes: Peace and Security, Infrastructure Development and Human Capital Development. Somehow, the entire business of governance got compressed into these three broad portfolios.
And so, eight years after, it is appropriate to examine how well the governor has discharged his self-appointed tasks to the people of Delta State.
This piece, for the sake of space and time constraint may not be able to dig out, in details, the performance record on the three prisms of Uduaghan’s governance. But enough to say that on the issue of Peace and Security, his administration, strove from day one to the last, to deliberately make efforts to promote peace and security. It is remarkable to note that his administration actually inherited a state steeped in all kinds of violence, skirmishes and general disquiet. Having been in government, eight years before becoming governor, Uduaghan was sufficiently familiar with the issues that had plagued the state. Indeed, his predecessor, James Ibori had spent his first one week in office shuttling between warring communities in the state.
Uduaghan had presided over many peace initiative meetings and knew deeply the issues and contentions. Yes, a couple of times, the level of disquiet spilled out of control, especially when the malaise of kidnapping hit the state and other parts of the country (which indeed claimed my own father), it will be right to say the Uduaghan years in office helped to contain the incendiary tendencies in the state.
His ability to manage the delicate complexities associated with a state that approximates mini Nigeria, with its many ethnic groupings, is a tribute to his capacity to manage people.
Perhaps his greatest disposition to peace is the sacrifice of his senatorial ambition in the state.
Although many believed he was harassed out of the senatorial race by the Ijaw mafia led by the trio of President Goodluck Jonathan, Chief E. K Clarke, and Government Ekpemupolo (alias Tompolo), Udugahan had explained that he elected to step down from the race so that there will be peace. He followed peace with so much commitment. He said the security reports reaching him had indicated that there will be plenty of trouble in the state if he went ahead with the contest. In his place, James Manager, an Ijaw, and who had been in the senate for over 12 uneventful years was returned, even though he had remained bland and inarticulate in the senate chambers over the years. No thanks to Ijaw conspiracy.
Although the governor won the peace, he seemingly lost his groove, as he had changed his operational pattern, by becoming far more taciturn and socially disenchanted, ever since the events leading to his dropping his senatorial ambition.
Uduaghan never trifled with the concerns of safety and security. That explains the huge support his administration gave law enforcement agencies in wracking down the incidents of violent crimes in the state.
Perhaps one other area his administration strove to leave a mark is in job creation. More than four times, his administration embarked on near mass recruitment of unemployed persons in the state. The civil service has helped to absorb quite a number of hitherto unemployed youths, even though a large number remains yet unemployed. It is not just a national malaise, but a global one.
One way however Uduaghan would have achieved more in this regard is to drive high the plan to establish the Warri Industrial Park which he launched in 2007/2008.
It was one veritable programme that would have radically transformed the fortunes and economy of the state. Apart from opening up a wide gamut of opportunities for the private sector to bloom and operate, the very idea of Industrial park, needless to say, would have literally mopped up all, almost, the idle youths loafing around the towns and cities of the state. It remains a vex point that the project failed or put differently, that it has remained inchoate, especially as some good funds had been allegedly allotted to commence the building of the park. It is sad that the project, laudable as it was, merely got “trapped” in the system.
However, his human capital development rating got a boost with the well-celebrated micro-credit scheme. It was a scheme that was well co-ordinated as it provided a start-up capital base to thousands of people(largely women) who ran their small-scale businesses across the state. For the huge success it recorded, the governor won several awards from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other institutions.
But the point must be made about the loan-recovery efforts. I am not aware if the loans have been or being paid back. Or were they not loans in the proper sense of the word?
Although the Asaba International Airport remains a signature project of the Uduaghan administration, even though it was inherited from his predecessor, and not exactly completed yet; not many people are satisfied with the infrastructure development in the state.
Two major road networks: the Asaba--Ughelli highway and the Koko road dualisation network, remain uncompleted, despite the fact that they had been conceived almost the same time the governor assumed office. It is difficult to understand why the two roads, especially remained uncompleted, but some believe that the Uduaghan administration was rather “too cool” with contractors, hence they were hardly in a hurry to get done with their contracts.
The big plans of establishing Koko EPZ for instance, seemingly died at conception, perhaps because of Federal Government bureaucracy. His administration however tried to recast Warri city in a new mould of a modern city, what with the introduction of the metro BRT bus service, just as major roads enjoyed asphalt overlay.
Street lightings improved greatly even in villages, especially the Asaba-Onitsha expressway lighting scheme powered by dozens of generators.
Although some will write it off as normal, the fact that he was almost always on the same page with labour meant that he was paying his state’s workers well and promptly.
His devotion to education was also evident in his drive toward improved quality delivery in the sector. His model schools, though not enough, provided the taste of preferred standard.
The overhead bridge projects at Warri and Asaba are remarkable responses to the growing vehicular traffic in the state.
Although some good efforts were directed at cleaning up the state, it still remains largely a dirty state bereft of a deliberate effort to promote greenery, even as Gov Uduaghan was an avid supporter and promoter of environmental preservation. He became a cheer leader in Climate Change campaigns.
However one other area that the Uduaghan administration achieved so much is in the health sector. Aside the huge attention paid to establishing the University of Abraka Teaching Hospital in Oghara, the free maternity service to women as well as free medi-care to senior citizens are programmes that not only saved lots of lives, but also provided enormous financial reliefs to beneficiaries. Perhaps as a medical doctor himself, Uduaghan, right from his days as Commissioner for Health, had placed premium prize on the health of the people.
His foray in sports is also remarkable, as the state did extremely well in winning laurels in national and international sporting competitions.
Beside every other virtue he has, many acknowledge that Uduaghan has a great listening habit. He listens a lot, sometimes to the vain and even profane, but he sifts through what he hears, albeit in a calm demeanour. He is an establishmentarian, never wanting to upset a status quo. No doubt, this nature has defined his political camp and operations. He is deft in his political calculations, wherein he moves as swiftly and silently as light.
Although a few doubt if one of his strengths is in forgiving those who ruffled him, many others (including yours sincerely) believe that he is a burnished Baptist, suffused with a good heart that shows kindness and mercy to the needy and the less privileged. I recall that in August 2009, he had suddenly stopped his convoy at the Effurun round about and adopted one of the young boys hawking petty items by the roadside. He transformed the life and fortune of that boy and his family. All things considered, Uduaghan will pass for a great leader, one who kept his circle of friends in good and not-so-good times. He surely has his place in history as we wish him a great and peaceful life after service.
