The two initial ex governors, James Ibori and Emmanuel Uduaghan did so much in the area of infrastructure all over the state. Expensively done or not, they got praise all over the state for building an almost modern state in the region.




When it came to Okowa’s turn, he showed a low capacity in knowing what needs to be done.




Two governors on both sides of Delta State, Godwin Obaseki in Edo was showing real hands on street credibility, building power plants by utilizing the paltry gas reserves in Edo State.


But Delta State, sitting on one of the largest gas reserves in the federation has a governor who was always mouth agape, looking on, arms akimbo in the pitch darkness of the state while the Edo State governor was busy lighting up his state to unlock the economic potentials there to the rapturous delight of the people.




When the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar then picked Okowa as his running mate, furious Deltans ran with their votes far away from the PDP.
The party lost at the presidential polls.


For the gubernatorial election, Oborevwori showed himself like the typical Warri boy that he is who has street cred. He would talk about “Deve”, (development) in street language in a BBC Pidgin English interview to show how he handled issues when he was even much younger.


The people bought his pitch, and camped with him.


Oborevwori, though in his 60s is a recognizable Elder in Bishop David Oyedepo’s Winners Chapel, is expected to show a marked difference, far away from the suspended Betta Edu, a medical doctor in her late 30s who also consulted Bishop Oyedepo for prayers to become a Federal minister, a feat that actually happened. But rather than do a Humanitarian job that the Nigerian president, Bola Tinubu engaged her for, in less than 7 months in office, started diverting humongous hundreds of millions of naira into personal and private accounts.


At the southern end beyond Delta, another governor, Nyesom Wike of Rivers State was busy constructing flyovers to decongest traffic in Rivers while Delta State remained in a gridlock around Ughelli and other major intersections that needed attention.






Can the bulky and well built Oborevwori combine the sagacity and strength of Wike and Obaseki to do more massive infrastructural projects beyond what Ibori and Emmanuel Uduaghan did?


Can he unlock the gas benefits in Isoko and Ndokwa lands amongst others by building gas turbines to lift the people out of perennial darkness?




Delta is waiting and watching, hoping that he would have a positive date with history.


Meanwhile, congratulatory messages are flowing in to Asaba, and Oborevwori is already basking in it.


But he is a smart Warri guy. People in Warri say he wakes up and proceeds to site while contractors are still snoring on their exquisite beds. It frightens them when their phone beeps, and Oborevwori is on the line.


May he deliver.




By Greg Abolo.