BY Sam Eyoboka

Warri—EMINENT sons and daughters of Itsekiri nation, yesterday, held their annual thanksgiving service at the Olu of Warri Palace, which afforded Delta State governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, an opportunity to defend his stewardship since he assumed office in 2007.

Responding to a charge by the National Presbyter of Church of God Mission, Rev. Eruebi Friday, who preached the only sermon of the day, Uduaghan, accompanied by his wife, Roli, his deputy, Prof. Amos Utuama and wife, the three senators representing the state and many other politicians from the state, said that politicians often send good messages, but messengers often deliver bad products.

According to him, when he came on board in 2007, “one of the things I tried to do was to reopen schools that were affected by the crisis, the deputy governor was the chairman. And there was a particular community school that was given to an Itsekiri contractor, what did he do? He sold the contract to a man, made his profit, but the money left for the man was not enough to execute the contract.

“And this is our own community. What messenger can be worse than that? So, when the preacher was talking about message and messengers and all that, we come across many messengers who do not carry the right messages.
“Just three days ago, we launched some buses, 30 big ones, 100 small ones, the total buses now is about 800. Two days ago, I was watching television and saw some of these buses that the state government is paying half of the bus fare. The bus fare is subsidised by 50 per cent by the state government.

“That is if you are supposed to pay N100 for Delta State buses, the passenger should pay N50 and the state government pays N50. And we are giving these subsidy to the people we gave the buses to, but what are they doing? I saw on television that some of the operators are forcing bus drivers to bring a minimum amount, which means that the passengers have to pay more than the 50 per cent they are supposed to pay.”