It is not every day that governors celebrate birthdays. But it was an occasion for celebration a forth night ago when Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State marked his 60th birthday. And so, friends, relations and political associates came together to celebrate the life of a man they agreed has impacted on them in very different but positive ways.

By the virtue of his professional background as a medical doctor, Uduaghan seems naturally programmed to be conservative. He looks it and plays the part. Anyone who has closely observed him in the seven years that he has been at the helms of affairs in Delta would certainly agree with the view that he is not a leader given to whimsicality, frivolity or rascality.

On the contrary, he comes across as a demure, deep-thinking, pragmatic and perspicacious fellow who crave little attention for himself while doing so much to the credit of his office.

His records shout decibels for themselves as there is hardly anyone who visited Delta recently that did not come away awestruck at the sheer quality and magnitude of development he has brought to both the physical outlook of the state and mental framework of her residents.

The Delta government, under Uduaghan, from inception, embarked on a number of measures aimed at uplifting the status of human development, with emphasis on education, agriculture, provision of potable water/sanitation and development of a grassroots-based micro-credit scheme, which correspond to the MDG’s main thematic areas. In Delta, there is free medical care for children under five and elders above 65, as well as free natal care for pregnant women until delivery, which drastically cut down on child and maternal mortality.

This fact cannot be lost on Uduaghan. He has demonstrated the right drive and will to succeed. Education is free and compulsory up to secondary school level, and there are Marshals deployed to ensure implementation and dereliction of school dropout syndrome.

The state also invited UN assessors who spent about a year in the state, and the result was unveiled at this year’s United Nations General Assembly in New York. The governor did not seem eager to publicize this feat even when there can be no doubt that he is proud of his achievements in this regard, which will go a long way in readjusting Nigeria’s ranking in the MDGs. History must surely have a lot more to report about him than the fact that he has shown that good governance is not merely a function of developing infrastructure such as roads, bridges and housing estates. The development of human capacity and quality of life, which is what the MDG’s are out to achieve, must be equally factored in. after all, human beings are the centerpiece of democracy and governance. Uduaghan has not only upped the stakes in what it means to be governor, he has also placed himself as a reference point for serving and would-be governors, not only in Delta but anywhere in the country.

I thank God for giving us such a governor, who has proved that he is truly patriotic and committed leader who desires the emancipation and development of his people. He stands as the best product politically from Delta South and should be drafted to the “Red Chamber”, come 2015 when he eventually bows out as governor, as he has a lot to offer in building the type of Nigeria envisaged by the founding fathers of our nation. I wish Uduaghan many happy returns on this occasion of his 60th birthday and pray for God’s continued blessings on him as he expends himself in the service of Delta and Nigeria.

MICHAEL TIDI, a Principal Investigator in Political Fact-Finding Forum, lives in Warri.