We Reject Diaspora Representation in Delta Central

By Goodluck Achoja
November 21, 2022

Delta Central cannot afford to trade its Senatorial seat for a diaspora representation. Since its creation in August 27, 1991, Delta State has grappled with the noble issues of the people’s livelihood and the infrastructural outlook of the state. Indeed, by virtue of the state’s strategic location in the oil-rich Niger Delta, it has an obligation, a task to truly become the Big Heart of Nigeria; and to a large extent, Delta Central has a role to play in the upliftment of Delta State from a mere docile state to that which can be reckoned with in the country. Delta Central is rich with various untapped mineral and human resources. Being in the heartland of West Africa’s tropical rainforest, Delta Central is endowed with abundance of natural resources.

These resources have sustained economic growth and self-sufficiency of our people for centuries.

However, there are few strategic government and private investments that connect our communities to the global economy. This is why we must all agitate for a Senator that is on ground and attuned with the peoples’ plight and not one that only remembers that he is from Delta Central after every four years. Primarily, politics is all about the transformation of the structures and values of power and of its manifold relation to, and implications for all other aspects of society. The people must be seen to benefit from such transformational structures in terms of job generation, poverty reduction as well as women empowerment.

Fortunately enough, Delta Central is blessed with sufficient human and natural resources, good arable land and with our oil and gas accounting for over 25% of Nigeria’s wealth. It will not be out of place therefore to wish our dear beloved senatorial district to come first among others in Nigeria in the area of education, health care system, food sufficiency, and infrastructural development. For this, we must send someone who understands what it means to represent his people. Delta Central cannot afford to send a sleeping Senator.

This is therefore the appropriate time for the Urhobo people to come out of their shells and clamour for an ideal leader that will bring to fruition the dreams of our founding fathers as the positive forces of history is here to drive a radical change in our beloved Senatorial District. A careful study of the profiles of many of the aspirants to the Delta Central Senatorial seat reveals that one particular candidate stands out. That is Chief Ighoyota Amori, an astute politician who has rallied Urhobo together for the past 24 years.

Chief Ighoyota Amori has served as Secretary, National Republican Convention (NRC), Ethiope Local Government Area (1990-1992); State Secretary, Grassroots Democratic Movement (1996-1998), State Publicity Secretary, Peoples’ Democratic Party (1998-1999), Commissioner for Education (1999-2003), among others. In these positions, he has been able to contribute immensely to both human capital and societal developments not only in Urhoboland but of Delta State.

As Commissioner for Education, he contributed significantly towards the upliftment of the educational sector in Delta State. He embarked on massive infrastructural development; renovation and fencing of Primary Schools in the state; mass recruitment of Secondary Schools teaching staff; establishment of model schools across the state; provision of computers in secondary schools; massive infrastructural development across all public schools and in the Delta State University, Abraka permanent site and the campuses at Asaba and Oleh; establishment of French Language Centre, Asaba; procurement and supply of books and teaching aids and science laboratory equipment to various schools; provision of scholarship for learning oversea; payment of bursaries to Delta State students; establishment of three polytechnics and one College of Education in Mosogar.

He currently flies the PDP flag for the position of the Senator, Representing the good people of Delta Central. He is a dynamic and visionary leader with concrete strategy in re-inventing the Urhoboland of our dream. Our support for his noble aspiration to become the Senator of Delta Central come 2023 will certainly put the Urhobo people on the path of development.

The choice is ours!

Goodluck Achoja writes from Asaba, Delta State.