NDOKWA AGENDA 2015 DELTA State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan recently broke his silence on his successor with a charge on all aspirants for the gubernatorial election in the state to sell their programmes and policies to the people rather than scheming on how to disqualify fellow aspirants. The governor who has been evasive on his likely successor noted that neither he nor any level of scheming could determine the candidate that would take over from him in 2015 but that the final choice rested in the hands of God. Dr. Uduaghan spoke at an Interdenominational Thanksgiving Service held at the Cathedral Church of St. Peter’s (Anglican Communion), Asaba to mark the 23th anniversary of the creation of Delta State on Wednesday. He cautioned aspirants to “stop running around trying to disqualify anybody because who God wants to give power, that He will give, whether you disqualify somebody at the screening stage and God wants that person, the person will succeed.” The governor recalled that in the build up to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primaries in 2006, he was disqualified by a screening committee in Port Harcourt before an appeal panel cleared him to contest the polls. “As an aspirant who wants to take over from me, tell the people what you want to do, let us have a clean electioneering campaign. Who God wants, He will put in office,” Dr. Uduaghan said, stressing, “let the campaign not be about me, about whom I am supporting or who I am not supporting, let the campaign be about what you can do for the people.” He added: “I want to thank everybody that have indicated interest to take over from me in 2015, it is not easy to make up one’s mind to contest but, know that there is only a space for one person at a time for four years.” Governor Uduaghan said that Delta State has cause to thank God on the occasion of the 23th anniversary of the state creation in view of the giant strides that have been recorded by successive administrations in the state. According to him, the decision to mark the occasion with a thanksgiving service was to acknowledge God’s mercies and goodness towards the Government and people of the state and a means of securing more favour from the creator. The governor said the state has recorded successes and used the occasion to declare August 27 as Thanksgiving Day for Delta State. Uduaghan who pronounced August 27 every year as a Day of Thanksgiving indicated that a bill would be sent to the House of Assembly to formally proclaim the day and urged the Speaker and members of the State Assembly to give the bill expeditious consideration. He explained that his administration’s Delta Beyond Oil Programme was a legacy that would stand the test of time because it involved going back to economic activities that the people were engaged in before the discovery of oil. “We must go back to those things we used to do before oil was discovered, agriculture, mining, tourism, manufacturing, and others,” he added. Dr. Uduaghan attributed the peace, stability and development in the state to concerted and sustained prayers and called on the people to be more united and shun bitterness towards their neighbours. It is indubitable that Uduaghan is one of the best performing governors today. Talk of gigantic roads, bridges and other landmark projects such as the Asaba airport and Oghara IPP that have firmly laid the foundation for irreversible industrialization of the state. However, all said and done, the question of who succeeds him has to be addressed with consideration for merit, equity and justice. Although democracy is generally regarded as a game of numbers, it has also generally become globally accepted that the need for unity and stability among diverse groups in a political and cultural milieu make power rotation imperative. Nigeria has begun to practise this imperative since the return of democracy. A great man, Chief James Ibori asa governor of the state saw the need for merit and equity as well as justice to minority groups when he considered the choice of his successor. Dr. Uduaghan, a distinguished medical doctor and administator, who succeeded Ibori after the PDPs primaries and all party statewide governorship election, also has stated the need to continue in this direction by accepting that power has to go to Delta North. This is a very laudable decision. However, observers and a majority of the people of the state in Nigeria and abroad also want the principles of equity and justice applied in Delta North, which is to produce the next governor. Delta North senatorial district is made up of Aniocha/Oshimili, Ika and Ndokwa people. No Ndokwa man has ever been a governor in Delta State or in the old Bendel State or defunct Midwest Region. But Aniocha/Oshimili has done so (the late Chief Dennis Osadebe) as well as Ika (Rt. Hon. Sam Obi). No Ndokwa person too has ever been a deputy governor, a position that has been produced by the Ika (Simeon Ebonka) and Aniocha/Oshimili (John Edozien and Benjamin Elue). No Ndokwa too has been a minister. None has been a CBN Governor. None has ever occupied any office at the national level of PDP. Dr. Cairo Ojougboh (Ika) is currently chairman, PDP southsouth. Current Delta State PDP Chairman Peter Nwaoboshi, BoT member Dr. (Mrs.) Marian Alli and Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, are from Aniocha/Oshimili while CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele is from Ika. It is true Ndokwa/Ukwani has produced a senator, but so also has Aniocha/Oshimili (Obi Nosike Ikpo) and even now an Ika man is the current senator (Dr Ifeanyi Okowa). Ndokwa has produced the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly just once (Olise Imegwu) whereas Ika has had Martin Okonta and Sam Obi and Aniocha/ Oshimili has had Victor Ochei and now Peter Onwusanya. Although Ndokwa contributes enormously to the national wealth, it is a highly marginalized and under developed ethnic nationality. Despite this, Ndokwa people have been very peaceful. All the youth restiveness in the Niger-Delta was approached and still being approached peacefully by Ndokwa people. Ndokwa is a mini-Delta with virtually all ethnic groups present. In Ndokwa we have Isokos, Ijaws, Urhobos, Itsekiris, Ika and Aniocha. Ndokwa is therefore the bridge between Delta South/Central and Delta North. Ndokwa shares cultural affinity with every ethnic group in Delta State, be it in dressing, food, socials and the entire cosmic/cultural outlook. Ndokwans are the only ethnic nationality in Delta that have cultural elements of all other ethnic nations as part of theirs. Ndokwa man is a case study in hospitality, good neighbourliness and peaceful coexistence. Ndokwa people are very hardworking people engaged in farming, fishing, livestock, poultry etc. With three LGAs, Ndokwa in terms of geographical space is one of the largest ethnic groups in Delta State.The question now is, will this giant oil and gas producing area that contributes enormously to the purses of Delta and Nigeria be overlooked again in producing the next governor of the state without creating instability. Given all the aforementioned factors it is therefore apposite to strongly affirm that it is the turn of this oil-producing member of the Delta family (Ndokwa/Ukwuani) to produce the next governor of our state while firmly consolidating the foundations of equity, fairplay and justice laid by Chief Ibori and Dr. Uduaghan.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 22:11:20 +0000
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