The vehicle, a newly acquired 14-seater Haice Toyota bus painted in DeltaState commuter colours of blue and white was on a 45 minutes journey from Warri to the university town of Abraka. I looked forward to alighting from the vehicle to conduct my private business and begin a quick return journey to Warri.

As we took off from the Delta city park by Deco Road and meandered through the Warri-Sapele road towards Effurun Junction, I could not help but admire the beautiful transformation which has repositioned Enerhen Junction referred to, by some people, as an axis of evil and difficulty.

It was at Enerhen Junction as I was pondering the aesthetic changes that had taken place that our journey took a dramatic twist for more than 30 minutes. Nerves were frayed, voices were raised, the bus was polarized and anger stared anger on the face. There were occasional outburst of laughter but two clear divide had emerged and both sides engaged in a fierce debate inside the bus popularly called Uduaghan bus.

We hardly knew when we passed the Effurun roundabout as we all got entangled in the debate to assess the performance of   Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan in the more than six years on the saddle. My position on the socio-economic development of DeltaState is clear in my mind and you can be sure I was one of those who staked a position in the raging debate. But I have no wish to feed you with my thinking alone, since that will be an unfair representation of the dialogue inside this bus.

Actually, it was a petite fair- complexion young lady that started it all. Hear her: “Thank God for this Uduaghan bus”, she began. “Only God knows how students would have been making it to Abraka. All these transporters were exploiting us seriously until Uduaghan came with these buses that have eased our problems and made commuting easier,” she explained. “Now look at the beauty of Enerhen Junction; this place is greatly transformed, it looks like little London.

” But that was the turning point as the lanky man who sat two seats away asked: ”What has Uduaghan achieved?” He was almost screaming. “What has he really done for the people of the state in the last six years? Can you compare Delta to Lagos or Rivers or even our sister state Edo or Awka Ibom or Cross River with all the oil money that Delta generates; is it just this Enerhen Junction thing that the man could do?” he hissed.

“Others are building overhead bridges and what he did was just to confuse us by expanding the road and putting a few things in place to make it seem as if he is working”. Another commuter picked it up from him, this time a lady.

“I graduated four years ago and the government cannot even give me a job, so what has he really achieved? I beg let that short man go and rest, he has not done anything. I personally score him very low”. When I thought the matter would end there so we can enjoy the view and continue our journey without any other distraction, the lady sitting next to me took up the issue from a rather strange angle.

“You Delta people are very ungrateful. I wish Uduaghan were the Governor of my state; the transformation taking place in your state is monumental,” she stated. But she had obviously angered a few persons in the bus and I could hear one person ask the driver of the bus to turn down the volume of the car radio where a report about the improvement of the Enerhen Junction was being broadcast. “My sister,” he began, as he slowly picked his words.

“Those critical of Dr. Uduaghan have only refused to look well or they are plainly mischievous. There is no sector that the Governor has not touched the lives of the people. He paused to  scan the bus as if he wanted to be sure everyone was paying attention to him. Then he cleared his throat and continued. “You see, there is no food for lazy people and the era of free and easy money has to some extent been consigned to history.

My younger brother graduated from University of Lagos and made a first class. Do you know where he is now?” he asked, as if everyone in the bus ought to know. “I spoke with him yesterday; he is concluding his PHD abroad, thanks to the special scholarship provision by Governor Uduaghan. My younger sister’s daughter is in SS 3; last year the state government enrolled her for the West African Examination Council, saving her poor parents the hassles of looking for thousands of Naira for the enrollment,” he informed.

Like a teacher in the class he gently hushed all those who were already grumbling.  Continuing, he said: “Some people may not see anything good in this administration but that is because a prophet has no honour in his own place”. “Excuse me sir,” one woman in disagreement blurted out from behind. “It seems you belong to PDP or working   for Uduaghan, because for me I am yet to see what the man has done in DeltaState.” Now she got really serious.

“If you want to tell me that because he built an airport at Asaba that qualifies him as a successful governor, you are wrong. How many of us use the airport, I have no need for it, because as far as I know it is only big people like him that enter plane to travel. Please spare us this talk about Uduaghan if you have nothing better to say,” she concluded.

By now our bus was navigating towards the Osubi Road and our direction was clear: Abraka. There was a brief silence as everyone appears to be digesting the points raised by the two groups in the vehicle. Then a young lady broke the ice again, when she said: “Actually,” she started, ‘if you check the education sector the guy has tried for us students.

The school fees in DeltaState is about the cheapest in Nigeria. In some states students are asked to pay well over N200,000 as school fees. The state government also gives out bursary to every student and those in law school are getting bursary allowance to support their education. I think we are better off in Delta than many states in the country.”

“What is this girl talking about?” someone in front hollered. “You people are the ones that make this Uduaghan man think he is doing something with this kind of talk. I feel you’re encouraging him to spoil the state. All the oil money that Delta receives what has he done with it? Look at soldiers on the streets, is it not because of crime is too high? Look at this Osubi Road that he has been constructing for years, when is he going to finish it?” he queried.

“My friend,” another man interjected, “if you don’t know then ask I will tell you. This Osubi Road is a Federal Government road; the Governor   wants to make it good so that the people of the state can at least enjoy some comfort. Even the Ughelli-Asaba road is a Federal road and others…”.

I listened and maintained an interesting silence as these people marshaled their points for and against Governor Uduaghan. As far as it was going, the debate was even and the argument needed someone from both sides to take the day.

“I don’t understand what you people are saying. Why should Uduaghan use our money to go and construct Federal roads? That is why the money coming to the state is not being used for other things.

He should have used the money to build industries and get our people employed and are enjoying good salaries, that would have been better use of our money.

I am even sure that there will be enough money left to tar all the roads in every corner of the state and there will still be change. I am sure that if he use the money well we will have free health care and some people can even some people without job can even be getting unemployment benefits after all   are we not oil state?

I listened and maintained an interesting silence as these people marshaled their points for and against Governor Uduaghan. As far as it was going, the debate was even and the argument needed someone from both sides to take the day.

By this time, our bus had reached Orerokpe and the radio in the bus was blaring music from the state owned broadcast outfit Delta Broadcasting Service, Warri as we meandered the narrow security check point set up by the military.

The speed breaker on the road appeared to jolt another passenger who apparently was satisfied with what Governor Uduaghan was doing in the state. ‘ let me tell you something ladies and gentlemen in this bus,’ he began, ‘governance is not the easiest thing…..’ He was still trying to land his point when another passenger took him up, ‘ my guy if governance is not easy please tell Uduaghan to step down so that someone else who can find it easy can step in. ‘ Everyone broke into a prolonged laughter as a woman jokingly asked,’ seems you have ambition to be governor, you think it is easy to govern Delta. ‘

I can do better than Uduaghan,’ he countered, but someone else took up the issue from that point. ‘There is actually no area that Uduaghan has left out.

Take peace for instance, we all know what the state was like before he came to power and shortly afterwards. He stabilized the state and that is why we are here talking today. He has also done so much in the area of health particularly the free maternal care.

I recall recently how my brother in-law came to visit and he changed my perception of the government. He convinced me that the government actually picked the bills when his wife delivered through operation at the GovernmentHospital. In fact, I hear that close to one million women have benefitted from the free maternal care.

Continuing he said,’ frankly the hospitals are better today than before. And I also hear there is free under five child care and the free rural health programme in the villages’.   Not done, the man said, ‘ at least the number of times my people call   me to contribute money to assist kinsmen pay for their medical or education bills have reduced.

From this point it was just a matter of minutes before we would get to Abraka and go our separate ways. A number of children ran after our bus pushing their wares of unshelled groundnuts and plantain chips at us. The man picked up his point again, ‘ you see,’ he was saying, the time is just eleven o’clock and these children rather than be in school are out here hawking in the street.

Their school fees have been paid by the government so they have no reason to be here. They should be in class learning and adding value to their lives in preparation for the future. What else can be better than education? He queried. ‘Let me tell you something’ he continued, ‘history will judge Dr. Uduaghan well. In years to come when his tenure comes under review we will see that he consolidated the foundation of growth, peace and progress for DeltaState.

Evi Ubogo resides in Warri, Delta state