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By Clifford Ndujihe

CRITICS regard him as a dark horse in the crowded race for the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP governorship ticket in Delta State but Mr Lucky Ohworode Idike said he is going to be the Lucky Charm of Delta and build on the legacies of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and past governors.

Urging Deltans to begin to dream big of a better Delta, Idike, a chartered accountant (1997) and a product of Kings College Lagos and the University of Lagos where he read Economics (1994), said he is in the race for the future of Delta State.

Asked why he is running, he said:  ”Let us begin to dream of a better Delta and together by the special grace of God, we will achieve our heart’s dreams and desires for our beloved homeland.”

Idike, who has been described as a visionary and articulate team leader and project manager continued:  “This is not a race between individuals. It is a race between two worlds. It is a race between two styles, two convictions and two Deltans. It is a race between the old Delta that has been and the new Delta that can be.

“I am enjoining Deltans to take their place with me at the starting blocks. We share the same yearnings for something new, a yearning for something transformational, something bigger than our collective imagination and yet within our potentials as a people.”

New course for Big Heart

It is this yearning for a greater height that has brought me here. Inspired by the doggedness of the founding fathers of Delta State, who created a system of Government that promotes inclusivity and laid the foundation for the growth that has been and is to come, we the Transformational Generation can dare to dream, standing on the shoulders of Chief James Onanefe Ibori, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan and our Infrastructure Giant, Dr Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa.

“Standing on the shoulders of these great men, we can dare to reinvent ourselves without fear of failure, knowing that a solid foundation has been built for the paradigm shift we are about to birth and to experience.”

New generation call

Going down memory lane, Idike, who is reputed to be a very dynamic and resilient young man, able and willing to face new challenges and possessing sound knowledge of the socio-economic, political and cultural environment in Nigeria, said:  “Throughout history, there always comes a time when a clarion call goes to a new generation to rise up and do what needs to be done. To rise up and make an impact that will resonate throughout the ages. We have been called and it is time for our generation to answer that call.

“This is the time for us to become the protagonists of what we will be remembered for by posterity, as a turning point in history. I am under no illusion of the great challenges that face us in this quest. We know the challenges, we have heard about them. We have discussed them for years. We have lived in the times and I am one of you.

I share the same blood with you. I share your dreams and your fears, but to yield to these same fears that have limited us for so long is to fail our children, our brothers and sisters who watch our backs, our mothers on whose prayers we thrive, our fathers who live in order to give us a better life and to fail the next generation of Deltans, who should benefit from a modern, enterprising and innovative blueprint.

Time to work

“My people, it is time to roll up our sleeves and work for what we believe in.  Someone once jokingly said to me that I’m going to be Delta’s Lucky Charm and I said I will, but much more than that, I believe that every one of us can become Delta’s Lucky Charm, bringing prosperity to our immediate environment. Given the right opportunity, we are all Leaders, dreamers and doers in our own right.

 “For too long Nigeria has been described as a dream killer and we have all come to accept it, giving our future to the same fears that have mortgaged our dreams for years.

“Now, once again we are asked to make a choice. To choose a leader to build on the enormous work done by the Great Ekwueme (Okowa) over the last seven years. Let us choose wisely. Let us choose hope, bright hope for tomorrow. Let us begin to work for that hope. Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful and committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that has ever been. Let us begin to dream of a better Delta.”

Reacting to Idike’s aspiration, Elder Statesman, Chief Pius Asiodu wished the aspirant success, saying: Ëven if the race remains very crowded, Delta State and Nigeria must hand over power to clear-sighted, younger energetic leaders wishing to take us to the First World status and global significance.”