The Alema of Warri and a business mogul, Chief Emmanuel Oritsejolomi Uduaghan, has celebrated a former governor of Delta State, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, who clocked 66 years.
Uduaghan, in a statement issued on Friday, extoled the leadership qualities of the former governor of Delta State.
He described Ibori as a strong leader who has made indelible marks in the lives of the masses.
The businessman also praised Ibori for his dedicated efforts towards the advancement of Nigeria, and the growth of Delta State in particular.
The statement reads in part: “As a governor, you never deviated from set goals. You exhibited the sterling qualities of a strong leader, brought optimism to the Niger Delta Region, provided effective leadership in Delta, established a culture of openness, checks and balances and gave dissenting voices full hearing.
“As a bridge builder who constantly preaches the gospel of national unity with passion, your gospel of live and let live is pervasive and all-embracing. However, your desire for peace, justice, equity and progress is unparalleled. You reiterated the call for true federalism, resource control and power shift.
“As a pragmatic and purposeful leader, an embodiment of the virtues of doggedness and resilience, you curbed militancy in the Niger Delta, managed well all the ethnic conflagrations that threatened to tear Delta State apart and made a case for more military protection of oil installations and facilities in the oil-producing areas.
“Your policies represented a very enlightened practical interpretation of the common saying that charity begins at home. You made indelible marks on the lives of the masses, executed projects to specifications, brought rapid and almost even development of Delta State with Operation 2000 Projects, maintained industrial harmony; eliminated high debt profile owned contractors by previous government, sanitised the process of award of contracts, embarked upon water schemes and projects for rural electricity supply, invested heavily in Warri, the commercial nerve centre of Delta State and developed Asaba, the state’s capital.
“Your zeal for excellence propelled you to bring together bright young men and women in your cabinet. You brought in strong and independent advisers and deposited great values in many young and not-so-young men and women in the South-South geo-political zone and the country.
“As a consultant, you came to be known both within and outside the country as a man who makes things happen.
“As a grassroots democrat and defender of the marginalised, you engaged in the calling of making people more fully human in social, cultural and political terms.”
