STOMACH INFRASTRUCTURES BEGGING MEDIA HOUSES SELLING AWARDS & GOV OBOREVWORI PLAYING WILLING BUYER

-By Zik Gbemre

It will not be well with the failed media houses feasting on Delta State commonwealth through sales of sycophantic excellence awards to successive governors in the state.

Am most disappointed in Governor Sheriff Oborevwori for copying, from his predecessors, this culture of buying media awards for self glorification in sustained arrested development of the state.

So, following on past 'arrangee' awards, New Telegraph, Sen Orji Kalu's paper that can't pay reporters and not seen in news stands in Delta has awarded Oborevwori best governor.

The paper claims it is in recognition of Oborevwori's contribution towards infrastructures development of his State and Nigeria, inferring the governor has been most outstanding among counterparts. What fallacy of judgment?

By what criteria is Oborevwori rated best on infrastructure? So inciting. Almost midstream into his first tenure as governor, Oboroevwori has not delivered any milestone project in service delivery unlike Lagos and Rivers state that are unveiling landmark projects and achievements in futuristic thinking for sustainable development.

Ironically, under Oborevwori, what has been profound is the sustenance of his predecessors disposition to execution of shoddy projects that don't last the text of time, a development that has forced Oborovweri into wielding cutlass about to test the integrity of ongoing projects over which he is often disappointed at the poor execution.

So by what criteria did New Telegraph found that Oborevwori has done better than other governors on infrastructure? For how much did Governor Oborevwori bankroll this jaundiced media award?

And to aggravate the inciting appeal of this purchased award, garrulous Oborevwori's aide, Fred Latimore is pointing to recent N275Billion allocated to infrastructural projects in the 2025 budget as proof his principal deserves the award.

Except he is intentionally blinded to happenings in other states, that figure, tied various phantom projects is just a few millions above what Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers state has staked on a single road project. Fubara approved N222.1B for Trans Kalabari Road after signing first signing contract for N195.3B with N150B (over 75%) mobilization released to contractor.

So why the mockery of Delta people with these repeated purchased award? In all honesty, the award of projects one is not sure of their completion cannot be a criteria for rating best governor of the year even as Oborevwori does not come close to counterparts in other states on the volume or value of projects awarded so far.

Latimore is hyping him for having three flyovers ongoing, a figure far below the multiple flyovers Fubara is building on a single Port Harcourt Ring Road project. So what are we talking about?

Also worth mentioning is the fact that in the most outstanding states, project execution is being done with commitment by parties to the contractually agreed delivery timelines, not the case in Delta where projects are awarded and abandoned to linger through successive administrations with no one sure of a completion date.

Above all, even if Oborovwori was so deserving, of what value is wasting the commonwealth on buying awards for self glorification at the expense of good governance?

Dubai, Doha are developed into enviable global economies. How many awards do they celebrate based on those milestones? When you enter Dubai-UAE and Doha, Qatar, at the point of entering through their airports, the development speaks for itself.

You don't need any media hype or purchased awards to confirm or validate the transformation.

We are as much pissed with the awards to Festus Keyamo as Minister of the Year. How can the only known Delta state commercial nerve of Warri and environs not have a standard airport and we are talking of fake awards?

Osubi Airstrip is not experiencing optima patronage because its RUNWAY doesn’t have the required length for a standard airport. We have been advocating that Governor Oborevwori and Keyamo as sons of the soil should take advantage of their respective political offices to partner in upgrading the Osubi facility.

Fortunately, Keyamo by self announcement not long after his appointment as Aviation Minister revealed that President Bola Tinubu had approved N2Billion for upgrade of Osubi airstrip's upgrade even as we considered that budget so inadequate.

Frustratingly, many months after, Keyamo and Oborevwori are blind to the needed partnership to take advantage of the presidential approval to open works on the N2Billion upgrade. And they expect Delta people to sheer to their purchased excellence awards.

Who takes these 'arrangee' awards serious when all you see in Delta are collapsed roads? Tell me why Udu-Ughievwem Road stretching from DSC Express Junction down to Ughelli Power Station in Ekrerhavwe and Ekakpamre and from Jeremi Junction at the road through Okpare down to Ughelli through Oteri Town are not dualised and some stomach infrastructure starved groups are giving awards?

Governor Oborevwori is not qualified for all these bunch of awards right, left, center as all past Delta governors including James Ibori indulged in. If they really deserve these excellence awards, by now Delta would have been like Dubai-UAE and Doha-Qatar.

Oborevwori should ignore those selling him undeserved awards and concentrate on good governance and genuine development.

How many awards has the Head of state of Doha, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani recieved for transforming Doha City to a world Tourist Centre? How many has the Head of Administration in Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum recieved for transforming the city of Dubai to what is today?

Shame on stomach infrastructure starved media houses selling awards. Shame on Oborevwori for copying his predecessors' interest in wating Delta's money to buy these awards for self glorification while the common good for which he seized state power suffers.

Keyamo has bagged another media award of best minister of the year. What a mockery of award.

Keyamo who bragged about N2billion naira being approved to expand Osubi airstrip RUNWAY. He has note taken any action till now and he is being given another award by Sun Newspaper. Keyamo, why do you accept these awards by the media?

As we speak, the Osubi airstrip is worse than it were. Before Keyamo appointment, you could still fly Abuja, Lagos from Osubi. Now air travelers from Warri have to go Asaba or Benin to travel to Lagos or Abuja. What kind of useless awards are they giving?

Zik Gbemre
March 3,2025

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