By Festus Ahon
History was made last Saturday when the Urhobo nation gathered at the Urhobo Cultural Centre, Uvwiamuge, Agbarho, to induct Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, the Governor of Delta State, into the Urhobo Progress Union, UPU (Worldwide) Hall of Fame. This landmark event made him the first Governor of Urhobo extraction to receive this prestigious honour.
In addition, the Governor, caught by surprise, achieved another historic first by being honoured by the Urhobo Traditional Rulers’ Council, led by the revered Ovie of Uvwie Kingdom, HRM Emmanuel Sideso, Abe 1. At the ceremony, he was also honoured as the Omorotomo of Urhoboland (a worthy child). This marked the first time the Urhobo nation collectively organized a grand reception to celebrate one of their own.
His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Francis Orowhedor Oborevwori, now holds the distinction of being the first Urhobo Governor to be decorated by his people in recognition of his outstanding accomplishments in the governance of Delta State, just eighteen months into his administration.
The importance of this honour can only be deeply appreciated when one understands that the UPU, the foremost socio- Cultural organization of the Urhobos worldwide, was celebrating its 93rd Urhobo National Day as one of the oldest and most prestigious Socio- Cultural Unions in Nigeria.
The Urhobo ethnic Nationality is the sixth largest in Nigeria and the most populous in Delta State, occupying eight local government areas in Delta Central and sharing two local government areas with the Ijaws and Itsekiris in Warri South and Patani Local Government Areas, respectively in Delta South.
The UPU, an embodiment of Urhobo culture and tradition, has branches all over the world and reserves its honours to only the most distinguished of its members.
The decoration and honour of Rt Hon Oborevwori by the UPU and the Council of Urhobo Traditional Rulers was not just for its funfare as Governor Oborevwori has made the Urhobo nation and Deltans at large proud in just about 18 months in office with a trail of achievements behind him.
The President -General of the UPU, Chief Ese Gam Owe, in his remarks at the event, commended Governor Sheriff Oborevwori for the massive infrastructural development across the state.
Owe said: “A time like this presents an opportunity for stock taking. But let us start with you. Your Excellency, we thank you for your MORE AGENDA. Today, our Urhobo Nation now breathes a new lease of life.
“The massive road construction projects, here and there, particularly the ongoing Julius Berger embarked Bridges and Roads expansion construction at Effurun and Warri, is a thing of joy to all discerning eyes. We are grateful to you, for these long-lasting legacies that you have brought forth to our dear Urhobo Nation.
“Apart from the above is the Delta State Health Insurance Scheme that is in place, courtesy of Your Excellency’s Government.
“I understand that other areas of Delta State are equally filling the positive impact of this your Administration. I am told and I verily believe, that Government Workers now smile home before the end of each month as their salaries are paid promptly. We thank you for all of these.”
Governor Oborevwori in his remarks, thanked the Urhobo nation for the honours bestowed on him, adding that he would not take the honours, which he described as a show of love, for granted.
While saying he would not disappoint the Urhobo nation and all other Deltans at large, he solicited for more and continued support of the people for his administration.
The Governor said the theme of the celebration: “Repositioning the Urhobo Nation For More Prosperity” aligns with the MORE Agenda of his administration, which embodies policy priorities for sustainable social and economic development through accelerated infrastructural renewal, youth development and empowerment, and the promotion of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
He said: “I am happy to let you know that through the various platforms of the Delta Action (for) Resilience and Economic Stimulus (D-CARES) programme, a total of 203,204 persons have so far been empowered with business support packages.
“Another set of 5,426 persons received cash grants under the MORE Grant Scheme for petty traders, artisans, and female entrepreneurs, while 6,000 farmers were empowered with agricultural inputs to boost agricultural production in the state.
“We have also distributed fertilizer to farmers across the 25 Local Government Areas of the state in support of our drive to grow the family economy and ensure food security for our people.
“This is in addition to the expanded focus on Agriculture under the Result Area 2 – FADAMA (Food Security) of the D-CARES scheme, as well as the release of N1 billion counterpart funding for the Africa Union Development Agency, New Partnership for African Development (AUDA NEPAD), meant to empower 2,000 farmers for food production, livestock and aquaculture.
“We recently introduced the MORE Biz-Up programme to assist a minimum of 2,000 fledgling entrepreneurs who are finding it hard to cope under the harsh effects of the economy.”
Oborevwori thanked the people of Anioma, Ijaw, Isoko and Itsekiri nations for supporting his election and appealed to Urhobos to unite for the political and social economic development of the Urhobo nation and Delta State in general.
He said his administration had prioritised key infrastructure projects like Ayakoromo bridge and Trans-Warri Roads and bridges to fast-track their completion.
He urged the Urhobo nation to continue to function as one big, happy and united family, saying; “as individuals, we may have our political differences but we must, nevertheless, stand resolute in ensuring that the interest of our people, the state, and the nation comes first in all our actions and utterances.
“That is why, as Governor, I have maintained cordial relations with elected and appointed public officials of other political parties. I believe that we can disagree without being disagreeable, and learn to separate politics from governance.
“This attitude of tolerance, mutual understanding, and cooperation is imperative for peace and sustainable development.
“It is also my desire and earnest expectation that Urhobos in diaspora will channel their investments home to complement the efforts of the government to create jobs for our teeming youth population and drive inclusive economic growth.”
