UDUAGHAN DESERVES ANOTHER TERM – PAUL ODILI, MANAGER (COMMUNICATIONS)

How has the government of Uduaghan fared in the last three years?

In terms of performance since May 2007 when Gov Uduaghan came into office, he has surpassed all expectations. It has been an extremely satisfactory performance by the government. The governor came into office with three-point development blueprint: Peace and security, human capital development and infrastructure development.

Without any fear of contradiction, one can say that peace and security have been achieved in the state in the last three years. Before now, the state was not as peaceful and secure. When Niger Delta was the centre of security issues because of the activities of militants, the governor, driven by the clear understanding of the issues, had managed successfully to make Delta insulate itself from the crises that had ravaged the region.

He successfully did that by his policies, which sincerely addressed the issues that agitate the people, particularly issues of human and physical infrastructure challenges. This is why the state has been peaceful. The only time when there was an upheaval, which we did not cause really, was an accident that occurred between the JTF and the boys in the creek last year.

Before then, Delta was very peaceful; vandalisation of oil installations was very limited, kidnapping was very limited. The governor has also dealt with ethnic challenges arising from the homogeneous nature of the state. He has been able to create some harmony between various ethnic groups, every ethnic group has come to a better understanding that all belong to one Delta.

He was able to do that because of his approach to governance. He adopted a sincere approach and people can tell that he didn't just talk about it, he was sincere and committed to it. That helped to build that sense of trust and unity.

In terms of infrastructure development, I could mention several projects that have been completed and ongoing including several hundreds of kilometers of road network, industrial park, Asaba international airport, streetlights, urban renewal and several others. In terms of human capital development, a lot has been done.

Uduaghan is said to run a family government in the sense that his wife and daughter are running NGOs allegedly funded by government. What's your take on that?

That is a beer parlour talk, somebody wakes up in the morning, gets drunk and begins to talk trash. In fact, to answer this question is to dignify it. It is somebody's imagination running riot.