Sheriff Wants To Give Deltans M.O.R.E

By Efe Akpotohwo

The task before Sheriff Oborevwori, the new Governor of Delta State, appears cut out for him. After winning a tough election battle, following a gruelling campaign, with relative ease, beating his closest challenger in 21 of the 25 local government areas in the state, Oborevwori knows he has a massive mandate to justify. He seems to have hit the ground running too, especially with stakeholders laying the agenda clear for a state that needs to justify its potential. That point has been made by stakeholders in the state ahead of his Inauguration today in Asaba, the State Capital.

Sheriff Oborevwori, more popularly known as Sheriff, the name on which he campaigned with the catchy ‘Sheriffied’ moniker, is not new to the politics and demands of Deltans. He has served at various times as Councilor, Local Government Chairman, Board member and now as the outgoing speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly. Oborevwori has passed through the tutelage of the three governors who have superintended the  state since the advent of the Fourth Republic. In this way, he served as Special Assistant to Governor James Ibori, Special Adviser to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan and then speaker of the State House of Assembly with Senator Ifeanyi Okowa as Governor. Those positions have given him an insider’s view of the state of the state, a fact he made clear during the campaign as a man with street credibility.

At the launch of his campaign last year, Oborevwori said his administration will consolidate on the achievements of the Ifeanyi Okowa administration. He said: “My M.O.R.E agenda is geared at consolidating and extending the gains of the current administration. It is designed to continue and expand the infrastructural and human capital development programmes of the Okowa administration. The vision is to keep Delta State ahead in all aspects of social and economic wellbeing. For those who may still be in the dark, M.O.R.E is an acronym for:

Meaningful Development,

Opportunities for All,

Realistic Reforms, and

Enhanced Peace and Security.”

While campaigning, he met with members of the Delta State Creative Industry, in Asaba, to sell his agenda. In the last several years, Delta State has become a destination for the Nollywood film industry. It hosts several movie shoots a year and the Okowa refine has moved it further to create a film village, among other infrastructure to drive the Industry.   Oborevwori promises more.

He said on that occasion: “While you perform your noble creative duties of providing entertainment and education to the society, my administration by the grace of God, will assist you to create wealth and self fulfilment towards enhancing your destinies. Also, I will ensure the provision of jobs and opportunities to discover more talents and hone their skills.

“Today, we are all familiar with the exploits and impacts  of Deltans in the  fields of movies, music, comedy and related  performing Arts. Whether by human endowments  and  tourism potentials, our dear state  is easy to pride itself among the 36 states of Nigeria as the unbeatable entertainment hub. We have a very long list of Delta-born actors, musicians, comedians and other creative industry practitioners in Nigeria. In fact, we will not leave here today if I begin to mention their names one by one.The population is huge and everywhere. Hence the popular  saying  among our  people “Delta nor dey carry last “ A befitting recognition and tribute to the leading role of  the state in  the entertainment and tourism sector in Africa’s largest nation.

“Happily, it has been a most  fulfilling and mutually beneficial relationship between you and the state under the visionary leadership of Governor Okowa who has remarkably provided a conducive  environment for the creative industry to blossom.The recent historic opening  of a massive  entertainment and tourism centre,  Maryam Babangida Film Village and Leisure Park, Asaba, is a vivid example of Governor Okowa’s bold commitment to the development and  growth  of the creative and tourism industry.”

On winning the election, the new governor said: “I have just been presented with the Certificate of Return by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), arising from my emergence as the Governor-Elect of Delta State on March 20, 2023. With the issuance of the Certificate of Return, we must now turn our attention to ensuring a seamless and stable transition in pursuant of my Advancing Delta agenda.

“Our victory is a testament to this fact; it was as comprehensive as it was decisive; the PDP won in all the 17 Local Government Areas in the North and South senatorial districts. In the Delta Central senatorial district, we won in four out of the eight Local Government Areas. But even more significant was our victory in Ethiope East Local Government Area, which had eluded the PDP since the current democratic dispensation began in 1999.”

Given his experience, Deltans expect him to hit the ground running on the critical issues of bringing back business to the state’s commercial towns such as Warri, which used to bubble with activities in the years past. He will also need to look at the other major cities such as Sapele, Ughelli, Agbor, Asaba, Kwale and other towns and villages that need urgent ideas to make them economically sustainable. It will need an urban renewal plan for the cities and a rural improvement plan for the villages.

Oborevwori assures that while the outgoing administration had laid “the right foundations to build a Stronger and more prosperous Delta state”, his mandate is “for consolidation and growth, for investment and economic reform, and for making the youth the centrepiece of our policies and programmes. My goal remains to make life richer, better, and more fulfilling for all.

“One of them is that I have learned the importance of setting the priorities of the government, communicating the goals and outcomes of policies and programmes, and pursuing them with relentless zeal,” he assured.