Politics

LP, Delta Govt Disagree On Oborevwori’s First 100 Days

Published

2 years ago

September 9, 2023

Editor

One hundred days is a very short time for any meaningful assessment of governance. But if an administrator hits the ground running from the first day in office, reasonable milestones can be identified within the period.

Prior to his inauguration as Governor of Delta State, Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori was perceived by a section of the populace as incompetent.

This perception was not unconnected to the tag of ‘street credibility’ attached to him during the campaigns ahead of the 2023 gubernatorial election in the state. “Why would you want to make someone who says he is a street man governor?” those who doubted his capacity to govern the state asked.

But the governor has been able to convince some of the cynics since assuming office on May 29. But many are yet to be convinced.

Incidentally, Oborevwori has promised to take development beyond what exists in the state by doing more for the people through his M.O.R.E agenda.

After taking over the reins of office on May 29, Oborevwori visited Warri South Local Government Area to inspect the multi billion naira storm water drainage project. The visit was meant to be an on-the-spot assessment of the project which is designed to avert flooding in the Warri/Uvwie axis and thereby ensure that the oil rich city returns to its glory days.

Expectedly, residents trooped out to catch a glimpse of their governor. Residents of First Marine Gate, one of the communities in the area, used the opportunity of the governor’s visit to inform him of their challenges, especially how they had lived in perennial darkness for years as a result of a faulty transformer.

Moved by their pleas, the governor instantly ordered that the faulty transformer be replaced, a pledge which was fulfilled within a week. A 500KVA transformer was delivered to the community by Warri South LGA chairman, Dr. Michael Tidi.

Receiving the transformer, the chairman of the community, Mr. Omoefe Agaga, thanked the governor for the kind gesture, promising to protect the transformer from vandals.

The recent escalation of hostilities between Aladja community in Udu LGA and Ogbe-Ijoh in Warri South West LGA may have come as a surprise to many.

This was especially because the two communities signed a peace pact not long ago. Oborevwori deployed mediation strategies to resolve the crisis, thereby raising hopes of more enduring peace between the warring communities. He directed the traditional institution to step in, leading to a rapprochement.

As a result, the Orodje of Okpe, His Royal Majesty, King Felix Mujakperuo, Chairman of the Delta State Council of Traditional Rulers, summoned monarchs from both Urhobo and Ijaw nations to his palace.

The Ovie of Uvwie, Oborevwori’s second homeland after Okpe, HRM Abe 1, Chairman of Urhobo Traditional Rulers Council led other traditional rulers to the meeting.

The Ijaw Traditional Rulers Council was led by its chairman, HRM Elder (Capt.) Joseph Timiyan, the Ebenanaowei of Ogulagha kingdom.

In arriving at a resolution, the royal fathers were guided by the governor’s clear message to the communities that were up in arms: “No amount of land is worth dying for because when you fight and kill yourselves, the land will still remain”.

Ultimately, it is hoped that lasting peace has been restored following the royal intervention as directed by the governor.

To address perennial flooding challenges in the state, Oborevwori constituted a 14-man 2023 Flood Disaster Management Committee. Inaugurating the Committee, Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Dr Kingsley Emu, charged members to sensitise citizens of the state, especially those living in coastal communities, of the need to move to higher grounds.

Speaking during the inaugural meeting, Emu charged the members of the committee to be diligent with the assignment as a lot depended on ensuring that flood victims are adequately catered for.

The SSG also stated that jingles should be aired on broadcast stations with a view to enlightening the public on the need to take precaution by moving out from flood prone areas to avoid being caught-up by the impending flood.

The SSG also spoke of plans to set up camps in the flood-hit areas of the State to accommodate those who may be affected by the impending flood.

But not everybody is impressed with the governor’s efforts, so far.

The South-South Chairman of the Labour Party, Chief Tony Ezeagwu, noted that even after the Federal Government allocated N5 billion to Delta State for palliatives, no relief material has been distributed in the state.

“In Delta State have you seen anything that is being showcased as palliative? Where is it being distributed?”, Ezeagwu asked.

The SSG, Emu, however explained that to ameliorate the suffering of citizens following the removal of petrol subsidy, the state government has commenced implementation of various palliative measures.

However, the Labour Party has passed a damning verdict on Oborevwori’s first 100 days in office as Delta State governor.

Ezeagwu, the Chairman of the LP in the South-South, told DAILY POST that in the Governor’s first 100 days, the State “is lacking the spark of governance”.

Although he agreed that 100 days is not enough to do much, Ezeagwu said the Governor should have addressed transportation challenges in the State by rehabilitating bad roads and providing mass transit buses.

“It would have reduced the high transport cost currently being experienced by the people. That would have been very good,” he said.

Asked to assess Oborevwori’s first 100 days as governor, the LP South-South leader said, “As far as I am concerned, there’s nothing to be excited about because the Governor has done nothing tangible on ground; so there is nothing to show for his administration’s 100 days.”

Ezeagwu added that while the Governor has been visiting different parts of the State, “we have not seen anything tangible in terms of governance”.

He added, “What is on ground is what former governor Ifeanyi Okowa left behind. There’s no new thing. He (Oborevwori) has been visiting places without governance. Visiting is not governance. He should engage himself in actual governance.”
DAILY POST

Politics

Umahi Fires Back At Makinde Over Lagos-Calabar Highway Cost

Published

1 day ago

October 11, 2025

Editor

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has fired back at Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, over his recent comments questioning the cost per kilometre of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, insisting that the governor misunderstood the technical details of road construction and cost evaluation.

Speaking during an inspection tour of the Keffi Bridge and the Nasarawa–Toto Road projects, alongside the state governor, Abdullahi Sule, on Saturday, Umahi said the cost of the highway had been carefully computed in line with global engineering standards and should not be reduced to “political soundbites.”

Governor Makinde had queried the minister’s estimated figures on the cost per kilometre of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which is one of the signature infrastructure projects of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Makinde, who spoke at an event in a viral video on Friday, said there was no need for the Minister of Works, David Umahi, to be “dancing around the cost” of the project.

He said, “These are elementary questions. And it makes no sense (sic). A process is ongoing, payment has been made, and you are saying, ‘How has this money been utilised?. The money is meant for the project, and it will be paid according to the work done.

Responding to the inspection tour, the former Ebonyi governor described Makinde as “a brother and friend” but said it was improper for him to publicly accuse him of “dancing around” figures.

“I heard that my brother and friend, Governor Makinde of Oyo state, said something about the cost per kilometre. I don’t want to join issues with him. I think he is an engineer, I think he is an electrician, they call it ‘elect-elect’. But this road construction matter, ‘elect-elect no reach there’,” Umahi said.

He continued, “I am his senior both in governance and in engineering practice. So, anything he doesn’t understand, he should call me and ask. I have great respect for him as my friend and brother, but he should withdraw the statement that I’m dancing around. I never danced around. If he insists, he should come for a debate, which is very important.”

Defending the project further, Umahi explained that there was no ambiguity in determining the cost per kilometre, stressing that it must be understood in both estimated and average terms.

“There is no ambiguity in cost per kilometre,” he said. “I am teaching them that cost per kilometre can be divided into estimated cost, which has elements of variance, and average cost, which is definitive. The average cost of a definitive project and the estimated cost are probable elements.”

He explained that the estimated cost includes allowances for contingencies and variation of price, which may not eventually be utilised.

“When the project is completed, and you remove what you didn’t use, such as contingencies and VOP, then you have your actual cost,” he added.

Umahi expressed amusement that some critics had resorted to asking Artificial Intelligence to explain the difference between estimated and average cost, only for the AI’s response to align with his explanation.

“When somebody who is dangling without knowledge goes to ask AI what the difference is between cost per kilometre and average cost, I’m happy that AI told him exactly what I said,” the minister quipped.

He also cited the National Universities Commission’s clarification on who qualifies as a professor, noting that practical experience in the field also counts as expertise.

“I’m happy that the NUC programme on who is a professor also made me right. You can become a professor by the reason of your practice. And I think God has made me one when it comes to practical, field engineering programmes, that’s what it is; you can’t take it back,” Umahi said.

Politics

Enugu Gov Mbah Set to Dump PDP

Published

3 days ago

October 10, 2025

Editor

Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah is set to dump the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, next week.

National Chairman and Deputy National Chairman, South-East, of the APC, Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda and Emma Eneukwu, respectively, broke the news in Abuja on Friday.

The APC national leadership revealed Mbah’s imminent defection to the ruling party while swearing in the newly inaugurated members of the Enugu State caretaker committee, led by former state chairman, Ben Nwoye, at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.

The governor is expected to announce his defection at an event schedule to hold in the state next week.

Chairman of the newly inaugurated caretaker committee, Nwoye, who confirmed the development, said the governor will join the ruling party alongside all his appointees.

There are speculations that Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, is also set to join APC.

Politics

Makinde Calls Out Umahi Over Coastal Highway Cost Analysis

Published

3 days ago

October 10, 2025

Editor

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has weighed in on the cost of the controversial Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project that was approved by President Bola Tinubu.

Makinde, who spoke at an event in a viral video on Friday, said there was no need for the Minister of Works, David Umahi, to be “dancing around the cost” of the project.

The governor was reacting to a heated exchange that unfolded live on television between Umahi and Arise TV presenter Rufai Oseni on Tuesday.

Oseni had requested the minister to analyse the cost of the project, kilometre by kilometre.

The request didn’t sit well with Umahi, who declared himself “professor” of practice in engineering while elaborating that the costs of the road in kilometres are not the same and would be too complicated for the journalist to understand.

He said, “These are elementary questions. And it makes no sense (sic). A process is ongoing, payment has been made, and you are saying, ‘how has this money been utilised?. The money is meant for the project, and it will be paid according to the work done.

“When a certificate is generated, and it is approved through a process in the Ministry of Works, it will then be given to the funders, who will, in turn, check if the works were done. How can you be asking for cost of kilometre? The prices are different. The next kilometre is different from the next kilometre.

“Keep quiet and stop saying what you don’t know. I’m a professor in this field. You don’t understand anything. I understand engineering very well. You have no knowledge of what you ask. You have no knowledge of what you’re asking.”

Oseni, who also refused to back down, responded, “Minister, it’s alright, keep dignifying yourself, and let the world know who you truly are.”

However, justifying the journalist’s question to the minister, Makinde said, “They asked a minister how much is the coastal road is, and then you (Umahi) are dancing around and going to say that no, the next kilometre is different from the next kilometres. Then what is the average cost?

“When we did the Oyo to Iseyin road then, it was about N9.99 billion, almost N10 billion. About 34 or 35 kilometres, average cost is about N238 million per kilometre.

“But when we did Iseyin to Ogbomoso, that was 76 kilometres, it was about N43 billion, average cost is about N500 million per kilometre. And we had two bridges, one over the Ogun river and then one at Ogbomoso end.”

The PUNCH reports that last year, the Federal Government announced the commencement of construction work on the 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which spans nine states and includes two spurs leading to the northern states.

Umahi made the announcement during the official handover of the first phase of the project, made up of 47.47 kilometers of dual carriageway, to Hitech Construction Company Limited, and which is to be constructed in concrete pavement.

This was contained in a statement issued by his Special Adviser (Media), Uchenna Orji.

According to him, the Minister who was in company with the Federal Ministry of Works’ Controller in charge of Lagos State, Mrs O. I. Kesha, emphasised the need for all contractors handling Federal Government’s road projects to deliver within a record time, noting that the government would not allow variation arising from delays or slow pace of work once mobilisation had been done.