Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, has been inducted into the Urhobo Hall of Fame in recognition of his outstanding accomplishments in the governance of the state.
The induction took place during the 93rd Urhobo National Day Celebration 2024/Grand Reception for the Governor held on Saturday, at Urhobo House, Uvwiamuge, Agbarho in Ughelli North Local Government Area of the state.
At the epochal event, Governor Oborevwori was confered with the title of “Omorotomo of Urhoboland” by the Urhobo Council of Traditional Rulers led by the Ovie of Uvwie Kingdom, HRM Emmanuel Sideso, Abe 1.
The Governor, at the occasion, said the theme of the celebration: “Repositioning the Urhobo Nation For More Prosperity” aligns with the MORE Agenda of his administration, which embodies policy priorities for sustainable social and economic development through accelerated infrastructural renewal, youth development and empowerment, and the promotion of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
He said: “I am happy to let you know that through the various platforms of the Delta Action (for) Resilience and Economic Stimulus (D-CARES) programme, a total of 203,204 persons have so far been empowered with business support packages.
“Another set of 5,426 persons received cash grants under the MORE Grant Scheme for petty traders, artisans, and female entrepreneurs, while 6,000 farmers were empowered with agricultural inputs to boost agricultural production in the state.
“We have also distributed fertilizers to farmers across the 25 Local Government Areas of the state in support of our drive to grow the family economy and ensure food security for our people.
“This is in addition to the expanded focus on Agriculture under the Result Area 2 – FADAMA (Food Security) of the D-CARES scheme, as well as the release of N1 billion counterpart funding for the Africa Union Development Agency, New Partnership for African Development (AUDA NEPAD), meant to empower 2,000 farmers for food production, livestock and aquaculture.”
Continuing, he said; “we recently introduced the MORE Biz-Up programme to assist a minimum of 2,000 fledgling entrepreneurs who are finding it hard to cope under the harsh effects of the economy.”
Governor Oborevwori thanked the people of Anioma, Ijaw, Isoko and Itsekiri nations for supporting his election and appealed to Urhobos to unite for the political and social economic development of the Urhobo nation and Delta State in general.
He said his administration had prioritised key infrastructure projects like Ayakoromo bridge and Trans-Warri Roads and bridges to fast-track their completion.
He urged the Urhobo nation to continue to function as one big, happy and united family, saying; “as individuals, we may have our political differences but we must, nevertheless, stand resolute in ensuring that the interest of our people, the state, and the nation comes first in all our actions and utterances.
“That is why, as Governor, I have maintained cordial relations with elected and appointed public officials of other political parties. I believe that we can disagree without being disagreeable, and learn to separate politics from governance.
“This attitude of tolerance, mutual understanding, and cooperation is imperative for peace and sustainable development.”
He appealed to parents to pay more attention to the training of their children and be good role models for them.
According to him, “As goes the family, so goes the nation. The get-rich-quick mentality of today’s youths is symptomatic of a breakdown in the family unit.
“I, therefore, call on our parents to step up to the plate and take this Biblical injunction seriously for the sake of our collective prosperity and future safety.
“It is also my desire and earnest expectation that Urhobos in diaspora will channel their investments home to complement the efforts of the government to create jobs for our teeming youth population and drive inclusive economic growth.”
Governor Oborevwori also used the occasion to condole with the people of Okuama of Ewu-Urhobo Kingdom, in Ughelli South Local Government Area over the unfortunate passing of their President- General, Pa James Oghorokor, recently in military custody, over the Okuama crisis.
He said the State Government had sent a delegation to condole with the family and the community, adding that the Army authorities were in contact with the State Government.
He said; “As a government, we are saddened by this unfortunate development and we extend our profound condolences to the deceased family and the entire Okuama community.
“We are in touch with the Army authorities and we will ensure that an autopsy is conducted to unravel the cause of his death. I will like to also assure that the autopsy report will be made public.”
In his remarks, Chairman of the occasion, Olorogun John Oguma, congratulated UPU on its 93rd anniversary and commended Governor Oborevwori for his outstanding accomplishments in the governance of the state.
He urged the people to rally round the Governor to achieve his administration’s MORE Agenda and to return him for a second term in 2027.
President- General of Urhobo Progress Union, UPU, (Worldwide), Olorogun Ese Gam Owe, in his welcome address, paid glowing tributes to past leaders of the UPU for their contributions to the growth and development of the Urhobo nation.
Gam Owe thanked Governor Oborevwori for the State Contributory Health Scheme and for providing free health care services to Deltans and lauded the Governor for the ongoing construction of flyovers in Warri and Effurun and for other projects in Sapele, other parts of Urhobo nation and Delta State in general.
Representatives of the Itsekiri, Isoko and Ijaw nations, Chief Thomas Ereyitomi, Professor Chris Akpotu and Professor Ben Okaba, congratulated the Urhobo nation on their 93rd anniversary celebration and for honouring Governor Oborevwori.
They commended Governor Oborevwori for the unprecedented development and for his sterling performance across the nooks and crannies of the state, stressing that every local government area in the state was being touched across all sectors of the state economy.
They pledged to support his administration beyond 2027.
The 2024 Urhobo Day celebration was attended by the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Emomotimi Guwor; the Member Representing Ughelli/Udu Federal Constituency, Hon. Francis Waive; Hon. Thomas Ereyitomi; the Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Olorogun Arthur Akpowowo; the President of Ijaw National Congress, Professor Ben Okaba, and the President of Isoko Development Union (IDU), Professor Chris Akpotu, among other dignitaries.
