By Jerome-Mario Utomi
“A tree is known by its fruit; man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friend and he who plants kindness gathers love” – Saint Basil, Bishop of Cesarea (329-379)
St. Basil’s timeless words above beautifully define the persona of His Excellency, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, the former Governor of Delta state. A humanist and welfarist per excellence, Ibori’s heart beats for the poor, the needy and indigent. Hence his friends and associates agree that the Otemu Educational Foundation (OEF) which he recently birthed was consistent with his natural inclination to do good and spread smiles around.
Through the OEF, Chief Ibori aims at transforming the educational landscape for underprivileged students in Delta state. Consequently, consistent with Chief Ibori’s passion for discovering talents and investing in human capital development which was one of the fulcrum of his administration as governor, the OEF is committed to locating and sponsoring brilliant but indigent students in Delta state who cannot afford to pay their school fees.
For a man who benefited from the exhilarating benefits of quality education, the OEF initiative according to Chief Ibori, was born out of his deep-seated belief in the transformative power of education and a commitment to uplifting the indigent, yet incredibly talented youths of Delta state.
Chief Ibori: “By investing in these bright young minds, we are not only fostering individual growth but also empowering future leaders who will drive positive change in their communities and beyond”
An achiever, cerebral, urbane, focused and detribalised, from all ramifications, Chief Ibori is living out Matshona Dhilwayo’s admonition as regards selfishness: “Help when you can; give what you have; do what you must; be what you ought to be” Dhilwayo admonishes.
And from whatever prism one looks at the Ibori phenomena, the former Governor has the love of Delta state inextricably etched in his heart. For the love of Delta, Chief Ibori, long before now, it would appear, heeded Dhilwayo’s admonition: he had done the giving as governor, he gave Delta state quality governance for eight years, taking the state on an exciting journey of transformative socio-economic and infrastructural development.
He has equally done the helping and what he must by being a pathfinder, a farsighted leader, a talent hunter. And as a Governor, discovered and assembled a team of dedicated, young, passionate and hardworking technocrats to help bring a refreshing breath of a new dawn to Delta state in particular and Niger Delta as a whole. Today, the charismatic Chairman of the Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Barr. Chiedu Ebie, stands as a quintessential testament to Chief Ibori’s knack for sniffing for and discovering the best. Before his current position, Ebie had served as the Delta State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education and later, Secretary to the State Government (SSG). And finally, in line with Dhilwayo’s admonition, Chief Ibori is today what he ought to be: A statesman, a bridge builder and a father to all!
In retrospect, the Ibori years as Delta State helmsman cannot be forgotten in a hurry. Dogged, visionary, purpose driven and goal oriented,15 years after leaving office, a broad spectrum of Deltans remain nostalgic about his tenure. Many recall Ibori’s pioneering achievements which they say is indelible and boldly printed on the sands of time. Some of such indelible footprints of the former Governor include the establishment of five tertiary institutions in one fell swoop; three polytechnics, one college of education and one college of physical education. The polytechnics are the Delta State Polytechnics at Ozoro, Ogharefe and Ogwashi-Uku. He also established three campuses of the Delta State University at Abraka, Oleh and Anwai, and also initiated and built the Delta State University Teaching Hospital, DELSUTH at Oghara.
Equally worthy of note is Ibori’s construction of bridges to connect and open up hitherto hard to reach areas of the state such as Ughoton where the Omadina bridge now connects the community with other surrounding communities and ultimately with the rest of the state. Ibori’s administration also constructed other bridges; the Igbuku, Olomu and Bomadi bridges to facilitate movement of people, goods, commerce and services amongst other riverine communities with challenging terrains.
It was also to the credit of the Ibori administration that Ijaw communities in Delta State got connected to the national grid thus availing them the benefits of electricity supply; Ibori was the first ever Delta Governor to achieve that feat. In the same vein, Ibori, it was, who conceived the idea of citing an Airport in Asaba, an idea that would later be brought to fruition by the subsequent administrations after his.
Beyond physical infrastructures, Ibori also built and cemented the infrastructure of peace and unity in Delta State through diplomacy, confidence building and equitable settlement, bringing the internecine deadly ethnic strife among some Delta communities, especially around the Warri axis, to a permanent end. One instrument Ibori employed to restore peace to the warring communities was the Ministry of Ethnic Relations and Conflict Resolution which he had created specifically for that purpose.
As Delta youths gear up to embrace, benefit and enjoy the goodness and fruit of Chief Ibori’s Otemu Educational Foundation, the prayer of all Deltans should be for God to keep for us, this iconic leader, this selfless servant of his people, this kind and large hearted man, so that he can continue to spread smiles on our faces and inspire hope in us.
Thank you sir, Chief James Onanefe Ibori. We love you more than you can imagine!
Utomi, a Media Specialist Writes From Lagos, Nigeria. He could be reached via: Jeromeutomi@yahoo.com or 08032725374