By Festus Ahon

Democracy is defined by famous scholars as a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a State, typically through elected representatives.

The 16th President of the United States of America, Abraham Lincoln, perhaps gave the most popular definition of democracy as “the government of the people, by the people, and for the people”.

On Sunday, August 27, 2023, Delta State celebrated the 32nd anniversary of its creation and it was an opportunity for Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to speak to Deltans on the progress thus far.

At an inter-denominational thanksgiving service held at Saint Peter’s Anglican Catheral, Diocese of Asaba, Oborevwori, the 5th democratically elected Governor of the State, called on Deltans to always engage in actions that would deepen democracy and foster unity among them for sustainable development programmes to be executed.

Represented by his Deputy, Sir Monday Onyeme, Oborevwori thanked Deltans for the support they are giving to his administration and successive governments since the creation of the State on August 27, 1991.

The Governor, who observed that the people of the State are more united 32 years after its creation due to the support they gave to his predecessors and to his administration, paid tributes to former leaders and civil servants for their contributions to the development of the State.

He said: “It is gratifying to note that, in all spheres of life, we have made tremendous progress and the greatest of all is that we are proud to say that we are Deltans.

“Today, we are more united as a people than ever before and on behalf of Deltans, we thank those who have contributed in several ways for us to be where we are today as a people.

“As we celebrate, we should continue to engage in actions that will deepen democracy, a government which has given us room to choose those who lead us.

“It is worthy to state that my predecessors in office without exception did their best for us to enjoy what we have today as Delta and I pray that God Almighty will continue to bless them with good health and wisdom as we continue to tap from their experience.

“I also want to express my profound appreciation to our Royal Fathers for making their domains peaceful for socio-economic activities to take place because, it is a fact that no development can take place in areas where there are crises”.

Oborevwori stated that his administration would continue to ensure the execution of developmental programmes and projects that have significance and purpose on the lives of the people.

“Already, we are doing a lot since assumption of office on May 29, 2023, to ensure that our people enjoy true dividends of democracy, and we are happy to say that our programmes are already yielding results and in the next four years and beyond, we shall have more reasons to thank God for an impactful administration”, the Governor said.

“In this regard, we must acknowledge and appreciate Deltans outside the State and in the Diaspora for the significant contributions to the development of the State in various ways since the creation of our State.

“I thank you once again for your prayers and support for our administration and for engaging in actions that will deepen our unity as a people and for ensuring that our State enjoys enduring peace and sustainable development”.

On Wednesday, August 30, Oborevwori presided over his administration’s first State Executive Council meeting with a charge to members to see their appointments as a call to serve the people of the State.

He congratulated the Commissioners on their appointments and urged them to work assiduously in the interest of the growth and development of the State.

The Governor urged the Commissioners to avail themselves copies of their swearing-in ceremony address and his inauguration speech, adding that they both offer the pathway of the policy thrust of his administration.

“For the administration to be successful, it requires the collaborative efforts of everyone”, Oborevwori said. “I urge all members to work in synergy as the decisions of Council are a collective decision of all members”.

Similarly, Oborevwori, Thursday, said he had lined up several projects to be inaugurated across the State as his administration is set to mark its first 100 days in office.

The Governor spoke to journalists during an inspection tour of projects at the Dennis Osadebay University, Anwai-Asaba and other parts of the State capital.

Projects inspected included the Administrative Building, Faculty of Agriculture Building, lecture theatres, Faculty of Environment and Vice Chancellor’s Lodge.

Others include the State High Court Complex, 16km internal roads and drainages around Madonna Road area and the Okpanam – Ibusa Road, both in Oshimili South and North Local Government Areas of the State.

Oborevwori expressed satisfaction with the quality of work done at the various project sites, adding that he would not inaugurate any project not executed to specification.

He said his administration would forward to the State Assembly a supplementary budget of N167 billion to address areas of need.

The Governor said: “I have already told Deltans that there will be meaningful development and as you can see, we just had our maiden Exco meeting yesterday, where a lot of approvals were granted.

“We also approved a supplementary budget to be able to carter for some of the areas that we know that are not properly funded and I can tell you that I have a good team and am sure that Deltans will get more from my administration”.

On Friday, September 1, in continuation of his inspection tour of projects ready for inauguration to commemorate his administration’s first 100 days in office, Oborevwori inspected projects at the University of Delta, Agbor, Owa-Alero campus in Ika North East Local Government Area of the State.

The projects inspected include the Faculty of Environmental Studies, lecture theatres, engineering workshops, solar farm at Mother and Child Hospital, Owa-Alero and the 11.3km Ute-Okpu – Ute-Elugu Road.

The Governor, who was represented by his Deputy, said Nigeria and other developing nations could rely less on imported goods if the nation embraced technical education for improved productivity.

Oborevwori expressed satisfaction with the quality of work done by the contractors and commended the immediate past administration of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for initiating the projects which, according to him, would be ready for inauguration in the next few days.

With the distribution of projects across the three Senatorial Districts of the State, Oborevwori has continued to show his commitment to the democratization of dividends of democracy to Deltans.