DELTA @ 33 PLUS & ALHAJI BUKAR'S PAIN OVER LOST GLORY OF WARRI 

FLASHBACK 

DELTA @ 33 PLUS & ALHAJI BUKAR'S PAIN OVER LOST GLORY OF WARRI 

-By Zik Gbemre 

Precisely on August 28, 2024, I wrote on DELTA AT 33 YEARS OF RETROGRESSION and I had many responses against my opinion and few supporting my opinion insisting that there is nothing to celebrate in Delta at 33. 

In that reflection, I mentioned Felix Ibru as the only governor in the history of the state that laid architectural design of Delta and left over N500M in the treasury when that administration was toppled.

Ibru meant well for Delta and he didn't seek to be elected to loot but sought to be elected to govern Delta state with his wealth of experience though his administration didn't last due to interference of the military. 

In Felix Ibru's SDP led administration of Delta we didn't hear useless titles of Chief Advisers and all kinds of useless roles that didn't have impact on governance rather than draining state treasury. 

The situation today is bad. Governor Sheriff Oborevwori doesn't care. Oborevwori governs to satisfy predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa and few hangers-on. He doesn't appreciate what good governance is all about. 

He thinks governance is about appointing aides for useless roles as Chief Adviser like the one given to Ighoyota Amori, a man who has no value to add to governance.  

I won't blame Oborevwori much because he didn't prepare for the job he is occupying right now. I had felt after 1 year in office he should have organised himself for the job rather than dishing out appointments of one thing or the other to spent politicians.

Imagine the popular Udu-Ughievwem Road stretching from DSC Express Junction to Ekakpamre by NEPA now known as Ughelli Power Station in Ughelli South is not motorable. Oborevwori should concentrate on good governance.

Most internal roads in towns and cities of Delta state are bad. Till now one would have expected Oborevwori to laise with Minister of Aviation & Aero Space Development, Festus Keyamo to start the expansion of Osubi Airport Runway/Tarmac to enable bigger aircrafts land and take off but this is not happening. 

Surprisingly Osubi town in Okpe LGA is Oborevwori's home town.  Oborevwori benefitted from the construction of Osubi Airport by Shell. Sheriff Oborevwori was Osubi  youth chairman during construction of Osubi Airport and Shell patronised him by giving him contracts to engage his community youth on control. 

What stops Oborevwori from partnering with Minister of Aviation & Aero Space  Development to expand the Runway/Tarmac of Osubi Airport in Okpe LGA of Delta? Gov Oborevwori should know that whatever achievement in Delta in his era as governor is his achievement and not mine.

Oborevwori should be aware that he will be held responsible for failing  in Delta while he will be commended for delivering good governance in Delta as governor. The should strive to be remembered for good and not the bad and the ugly in the state.

He should shun the partisan wasteful appointments of ancestors and spent politicians as Chief Advisers/Senior Special Advisers for likes of Amori, Aguariavwodo and co. The likes of Amori and Aguariavwodo and co are supposed to be at their homes, sitting with their locals as 'Ekpako'.

It is the responsibility of public office holders to deliver good governance, not mine. Oborevwori's led PDP administration should show direction. He should be glorified with praise singing and rental commendations. 

Few months ago when I wrote on Delta at 33 this was the response from Ahjaji Abdullah Bukar who held many top executive jobs as Engineer in Shell and popular known as "THE GAS MAN AND A BRIDGE BUILDER". 

He lived his youthful and adult life in Warri where he gave birth to his children and were all raised in Warri in Delta state. Engr Bukar wrote,
"My friend. Well done and congratulations to Delta State for another anniversary .

"Delta State is not in isolation in the poor developmental performance ranking among sister states. We have a National Problem. Although no longer resident in Warri Delta State, my feelings and love of the place still reside there.

"I remember meetings in the Ogunu-Warri Golf Club house with Governor Felix Ibru (1993) to help workout how to :

1. Revive Warri as a Port, serving the oil and gas industry, offshore facilities servicing, as well as agric products and steel from DSC.

2. Revive DSC Aladja to serve the O and G Industry, invite Oil Country Tubular Goods to set up plants in the area.

3. Establish Warri as West African hub for the burgeoning shallow offshore wellhead and production systems building (Ghana, Angola, Gabon, Equitorial Guinea, Cameroons, Ivory Coast already going on) to attract Senegal, Mauretania, and then at the appraisal stage.

"Many of the platforms and facilities in Angola in those early years were built in Warri, and many Warri based welders, fitters, engineers, and mariners worked in Angola. Many are still there. We even went as far as asking NGC to try and sell gas to AT and P in Sapele and Asaba Industries to improve profitability.

4. We toyed with the idea of an export processing zone adjacent to the NBTC Yard that will allow bringing raw materials by barges from the hinterland and exporting via Warri Port, also supplying national needs.

5. Expand Warri Refinery to cover fertiliser and other petrochemical production. We even considered setting up new cities in Jeddo and Ujevwu.

"Alas. None of these has happened. 
When we later on conceived Osubi Airport, we actually built it on the basis that it will serve immediate needs as approved by FAAN and CAA, but easy to expand to a standard runway that can service Jumbo jets.  

"The land and runway extension in length and breadth are all there. Even the lighting can be adjusted. 

"We need to look for ways that will trigger revival efforts to ensure the Oil and Gas recovery that is essential for Nigeria's survival will bring in the resources that Delta State will reap, be used for proper development from grassroots to industrial base locally.

"Please help initiate that.
I still remain a loyal Waffian."

Bukar's love for Warri and Delta is much and anytime I visit him in his Abuja home his discussion is always centred on how to lift Warri and environs with the availability of resources available in Delta. Bukar was a household name when Shell was fully operational in Warri, Delta state. 

Bukar touched lives of locals in the area and his doors were always opened to the locals.

I hope Gov Oborevwori will borrow from the wealth of experience expressed from the response of Engr Bukar.

Zik Gbemre
January 16, 2025

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