By Dr. Ifeanyi Osuoza
Rt. Hon. Elder (Dr.) Sheriff Francis Orohwedor OBOREVWORI took over the mantle of political and administrative leadership in Delta State on May 29, 2023 and in the last two years, he has delivered impactful, courageous, dynamic, pragmatic and result oriented projects and governance to Deltans.
Taking control of the reins of power against the backdrop of a robust, rigorous primary election for his party’s gubernatorial ticket, followed by a keenly contested, nail biting governorship elections and then the seemingly unending legal confrontations spanning 38 court cases, some of which were instituted after the primary election and dovetailed into the early months of his reign, following his triumphant landslide victory at the general polls, Governor Oborevwori already had a clear comprehensive and understanding of the perceptions and challenges that awaited and would subsequently define his first tenure as it unraveled.
Armed with and poised by the articulate and definitive guidelines of his M.O.R.E Agenda, acronym for: Meaningful Development, Opportunities for All, Realistic Reforms and Enhanced Peace and security, Governor Oborevwori, already groomed and properly prepared for leadership with his meritorious and illustrious stint as the longest serving Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, proceeded with steady, surefooted and clinical precision, to systematically and equitably commence the delivery of all the components of his Agenda, not just in all the sectoral, socio/economic spheres, but indeed across the three Senatorial districts of the State, ensuring that every area both sectorally and geographically has been impacted progressively in the last two years.
Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, in the course of the very robust and comprehensive, 2023 governorship campaign became known as “a man of the people”, and earned the sobriquet “street credibility” not just for his admirable simplicity and uncensored connection with the people, but also for his humane capacity to show appreciation where it is deserved.
Thus it was his first port of call after his assumption of office to the State civil service in recognition of the tremendous role and contribution of the State workforce to his electoral victory, where he pledged to sustain the existing workforce through prompt payment of salaries and other emoluments for both active and retired officers.
With the benefit of foresight, his administration was notably amongst the the first to pay N10,000 per person per month over a three-month period to its over 50,000 workforce, to cushion the effects of the economic hardship in the country in the wake of the petrol subsidy removal, long before even the official palliatives started arriving. He also maintained the then minimum wage of N30,000 and went a step further by introducing and implementing a flexible new work schedule, where non-critical staff members enjoyed the luxury of two days off duty per week, without prejudice to their annual holidays.
The new work schedule was an initiative that added significant value to the welfare of the workforce by saving them the cost of transportation to work on the affected days, in addition to the N10,000 per month, which supported the financial upkeep of many families to stem the harsh effects of the subsidy removal.
The Governor Oborevwori’s administration equally provided brand new vehicles for Permanent Secretaries, the echelon of its Civil Service, approved training and retraining programmes for management cadre, committed a sum of over N5 billion to liquidate promotion arrears and was the first to approve and implement the payment of the new minimum wage, raising the bar of the negotiated N70,000 threshold, to the increased payment of N77,500 to Delta State civil servants.
In addition, Governor Oborevwori actively encouraged and supported the 25 Local Governments in the State through the guarantee of a N40 billion facility to offset the huge arrears of retirement benefits owed Local Government pensioners, and approved the recruitment of more than 3,000 primary school teaching and non-teaching staff, with a view to strengthening and revitalising the sector.
The N40 billion facility, which empowered Local governments to fulfill their obligations to pensioners, has since been repaid by the local governments in line with the very impressive Prudential management of resources policy of Governor Oborevwori’s administration, which has been underscored by the fact that he has not borrowed a dime since he came into office.
Infact it is an accepted fact that one outstanding achievement of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori in the last two years of his administration has been the effective and prudent management of resources, as well as his strategic fiscal policies, which have not only ensured stability, growth and continued development across the State, but have also guided the initiation and execution of all the projects embarked on and delivered in advancing development across Delta State.
According to available and verifiable records, the Governor Oborevwori administration, despite not taking loans, has expended and appropriated over N300 billion to repay debts and fulfill contractual obligations inherited from previous administrations.
In the area of infrastructure, Delta watchers will attest to the fact that in the past two years, significant infrastructure projects have transformed key areas in Delta State, particularly in Uvwie, and Warri South, through strategic development programs, particularly the stellar project of the administration; the N78 billion construction of three flyovers, cloverleaf, road expansion and pedestrian bridges project in the Effurun and Warri metropolis of the State, which includes road expansion and improvement works between Effurun and DSC roundabouts; PTI Junction Flyover; DSC Roundabout flyover; Enerhen junction/Marine Gate flyover and cloverleaf at Effurun roundabout.
Several other major bridges have been constructed or revitalized, including: The Beneku Bridge, linking communities in Ndokwa West and East, the Ayakoromo Bridge which connects over 15 communities in Burutu Local Government Area to Ughelli South, the Orere Bridge which is nearing completion, with the deck already finished, the Trans-Warri Road and Bridges project, which is progressing very well, and the completion of the Ubu Bridge project in Ogwashi Uku, and Ughelli-Asaba Road dualisation project which has significantly shortened Warri-Asaba travel time and boosted economic connectivity across Delta State and beyond, as well as the Asaba-Ase bridge, amongst others, while infrastructure developments are underway in communities all with the aim to further improve interconnectivity across the State. Riverine communities are not left out in this development efforts.
The commendable infrastructural success achieved by the Governor Oborevwori administration in the last two years has been firmly anchored on the strategic administrative decision of splitting the Ministry of Works into two, Highways and Urban Roads; Rural and Riverine Roads, and as at the last count, both Ministries are now handling over 513 inherited and new road projects, many of which have been completed. In all, the roads span over 1,500 kilometres, while the drainages cover more than 950 kilometres.
In the education sector, a new campus has been established for the Southern Delta University in Orerokpe while construction of various faculties and supporting infrastructure, including the College of Health Sciences which is ongoing at the main campus in Ozoro thereby enhancing access to higher education in the State.
The Oborevwori administration has also maintained the operations of the State’s four public Universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of Education and Colleges of Health Technology and Nursing, even as it equally approved the recruitment of over 600 staff to strengthen the sector and given the nod for the implementation of salary review of 25 to 35 per cent for tertiary staff. This administration gave birth to new College of Health Technology, Ovrode with new structures, which would be commissioned in the next few days.
The government has equally ensured the smooth running of the more than 1,300 public primary and secondary schools in the State and in spite of the harsh economic realities, paid more than N1 billion to more than 60,000 deserving tertiary students of the State origin, by way of bursary, for two academic sessions.
The Governor Oborevwori administration has also made a budgetary allocation of a mandatory N2 billion to each Local Government area in the State, specifically for road development, in addition to the impressive N250 billion earmarked for road infrastructure across the State. This is without prejudice to other development plans in the M.O.R.E Agenda that have already been earmarked for the entire State in the budget.
Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has placed great premium on his Human Capital Development and Empowerment Schemes in line with fulfilling the Opportunities For All component of the M.O.R.E Agenda. The Oborevwori administration has launched initiatives focused on empowering youth and women with skills and resources to thrive. These schemes and initiatives which includes the MORE Grants scheme, the D-CARES, WESAP and other entrepreneurship initiatives in addition to micro credit programme and the massive efforts of the Jobs Creation Office are not only catering for youths, women and artisans to develop themselves for sustainable growth, they have also enabled more than 250,000 persons with cash and other modes of aid. Indeed the empowerment programs are being expanded regularly to uplift youth and women economically.
Thousands of Deltans have already benefited through the State FADAMA Agriculture Coordination projects, as well as through the Delta State Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Development, thus bringing the total beneficiaries under 4th tranche of D-CARES to 97,365, while overall total beneficiaries of this empowerment scheme alone has reached 208,209 in the last two years.
Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s determination to deliver on the Enhanced Peace and Security component of the M.O.R.E Agenda was underscored at the very early stage of his administration with the inauguration of the State Advisory and Peace-Building Council, comprising distinguished and respected elders from diverse communities of Delta State and saddled with the responsibility of identifying and addressing potential threats to peace and security across the three Senatorial zones of the State.
The Delta State Governor also gave considerable recognition to the office of DG Security, Delta State and the Office of the Special Adviser on Peace Building and Conflict Resolution, all of which have complemented and consolidated the robust synergy and cordial symbiosis relationship between the State government and security agencies in the peace building efforts of the Governor Oborevwori administration, underscored by the provision and supply of critical operational equipment, including patrol vehicles and kits, as well as construction of several units of housing quarters for security personnel, in collective effort to strengthen their daily operational capacity.
The administration has also ensured that the State security outfit, Operation Delta Sweep, remains well oiled to ensure the effective exercise of its mandate and the Ministry of Oil and Gas has been strategically proactive in curbing restiveness and conflicts in the oil producing communities, which has contributed considerably to the increase in oil revenue for the national coffers.
In sports, the Governor Oborevwori administration has already stamped the authority and excellence of Delta State, not only in hosting sporting events, but also dominating the rest of the country in performance at sporting festivals. Its tactical and proactive support to the Delta State Sports Commission, has yielded handsome results and sustained the culture of excellence in competitive sports engagements at the national level resulting in the retention of the overall winners’ diadem at the National Youth Games, NYG, and the National Sports Festival (NSF) and the recent Niger Delta Sports Festival. The administration has also sustained the Principals’ Cup and the Headmasters’ Cup football contests among Secondary and Primary schools in the State.
One of the major infrastructural landmarks in the last two years of Governor Oborevwori’s administration has been delivered in the judicial sector with the completion and inauguration of the State-of-the-art High Court Complex which consists of six floors, six court rooms, six conference halls, six witness waiting rooms, six holding cells, six secretarial offices, two general conference halls, a ceremonial hall, Multi-purpose Hall, lawyers’ lounge, judges’ lounge, VIP lounge and a library, among others.
The new High Court Complex also have internet access and other critical Information Technology (IT) facilities in the building to enhance e-filing of court processes and e-payments for services rendered by the High Court of Justice.
The administration has also addressed extended goodwill to the judiciary with the presentation of brand new vehicles to Judges in the State and official vehicles to other Judicial officers for ease of movement, even as it has also embarked on building Judges quarters across the State to address accommodation challenges.
In housing, the administration has commenced the building of 50 housing units made up of 30 three bedrooms and 20 two bedrooms in three different locations as a pilot scheme. Eight units of duplex are also being constructed to accommodate more Commissioners in the quarter.
As part of its efforts at diversifying the economy of the State, the administration has sealed a deal with UTM LNG for the harnessing of the huge reserves of natural gas in the State. This initiative is expected to earn more income for the State, reduce the tempo of gas flaring, help preserve the environment and equally encourage Deltans to embrace cleaner energy for domestic use.
And in the strategic and well structured developmental effort, the Governor Oborevwori administration, in April 2025, signed into law, seven important and carefully crafted Bills geared towards enhancing Delta State and addressing pressing issues and challenges to improve the quality of life of the people, through the MORE Agenda.
The bills are the strategic Delta State Electricity Power Sector Bill, 2024, which has now provided the legal framework to unlock a plethora of investment opportunities in the power generation, transmission and distribution investment.
According to Governor Oborevwori, while assenting to the Bill, “The State is now open for prospective investors in this sector to take advantage of it. I believe that this bill that l have assented to today will improve our power sector which is very key because, you can’t do any investment without power.
“Power is very key and I can tell you today that we have the population and now the legal framework for investment to thrive. The State is now open for investments”
Another critical Bill is “The Child Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which has now provided more safeguards for children and ensured that from now, no child should be employed or used for domestic help aside their homes or family environment. The bill now law, also establishes an Adoption Service Department in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Social Development to address the challenges of prospective adopting parents to create an enabling legislation for children who are the future and must be protected.
There are also the “Delta State Physical and Regional Planning Bill, 2024; Delta State Film and Video Censor’s Board Bill, 2024; Registration and Regulation of Private Veterinary Clinics (Amendment) Law, 2024; Delta State Pet Control and Responsible Ownership Bill, 2024, and the Delta State College of Health Technology, Ovrode Bill, 2024.
Speaking more on the assented Bills, Governor Oborevwori said: “The laws that l have just assented to are very key, especially the Delta State Electricity Power Sector Law 2024. This particular law gives me immense joy in assenting to it.”
The bills according Governor Oborevwori, “will protect our vulnerable populations, improve quality of life, promote sustainable development and environmental protection, attract investment and increase our IGR.”
Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s giant strides and outstanding developmental achievements in the last two years have not gone unnoticed but have received acknowledgement with the national recognition they deserve.
Two major awards captured the essence and burgeoning national attention and recognition Governor Oborevwori has attracted in the last two years.
The first is the, ThisDay Newspaper and Arise Television “Governor of The Year 2024 Award” for his fiscal discipline and infrastructural development in the State, presented to him in January 2025
Announcing the award, the Founder of ThisDay and Arise Media Group, Prince Nduka Obaigbena, said: “Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State was underrated. But in his 18 months in power, he has not borrowed any cent from any bank, and he keeps building infrastructure across the State.”
Presenting the award on behalf of the media house, former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Emeka Anyaoku, congratulated Oborevwori on the recognition, describing him as an achiever with great positive accomplishments. He also bagged Telegraph Newspaper Governor of the year 2024 award in recognition of his outstanding accomplishments in infrastructure.
The third is the prestigious Vanguard Newspaper’s Governor of the year 2024 award in recognition of his outstanding commitment to good governance, impactful leadership, and transformative initiatives across the State.
Governor Oborevwori was specially recognized for his commitment to transparency, inclusive governance, and the rapid execution of strategic developmental projects under his “MORE” Agenda – an acronym for Meaningful Development, Opportunities for All, Realistic Reforms, and Enhanced Peace and Security.
The award, presented at the 13th Annual Vanguard Personality of the Year Awards ceremony in Lagos, in April 2025, celebrates public officials who have demonstrated excellence in public service, infrastructural development, economic transformation, and people-centered leadership.
Vanguard’s editorial board described Oborevwori’s leadership as “purpose-driven and people-focused,” highlighting achievements in road construction, education, healthcare, youth empowerment, and security initiatives across the State.
And on Monday, April 28, 2025, a major political event occurred in Delta State when Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, his entire cabinet, the PDP members of the State legislature and the administrative and political structure of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP across the State, courageously made the bold move and defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, thereby signifying a “Renewed Hope for the MORE Agenda”.
The decision to align with the APC was a strategic and thoughtful move driven by a singular objective: to fast-track Delta State’s development through enhanced collaboration with the federal government. It was not about political survival or personal ambition, but about putting Delta first; a well-considered and patriotic decision aimed at fostering stronger federal collaboration and accelerating development across the State. The defection marked a significant political realignment in Delta State, potentially reshaping the 2027 electoral landscape and boosting the State’s access to federal partnerships.
Since taking over the levers of power and governance of the State in 2023, Governor Oborevwori has exhibited a faithful commitment to the M.O.R.E Agenda and a dogged determination to ensure that the administration delivers the dividends of democracy across critical sectors: infrastructure, education, healthcare, youth and women empowerment, security and human capital development.
In the last two years, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has kept faith with his pledge that; ”I am committed to building a Delta State that works for all. Through innovative programs and policies, we are promoting socio-economic development, improving healthcare delivery, and empowering youth and women. These initiatives are just the beginning, and I am excited about what we can achieve together. I envision a Delta State where everyone can thrive and have access to sustainable, inclusive development.
“By working together and leveraging the strength of our people, I believe we can achieve this vision.”
As the administration of Rt. Hon. Elder (Dr.) Sheriff Francis Orohwedor Oborevwori celebrates its second anniversary, Deltans should expect more development, more welfare and empowerment packages and indeed more dividends of democracy from the delivery of the MORE Agenda with the support and driving synergy of Renewed Hope in the coming years.
● Dr. Ifeanyi Michael Osuoza is the Delta State Commissioner for Special Duties (Government House).
28th May, 2025
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