Goodluck Jonathan’s Shocking Judgment on Oborevwori -By Emmanuel Aziken

The question as to whether President Goodluck Jonathan was prompted to rein in the non-descript group identifying itself as the League of Delta Patriots is certainly untenable given the integrity and respect that the former Nigeria leader has continued to garner especially since he left office nine years ago.

Also, given that Jonathan has turned into a revered international statesman it would be especially impolite to consider him as acting as an emissary of any of the contending political actors in Delta State.

However, his words at the commissioning of the state-of-the-art Delta State High Court complex on Tuesday, June 4, 2024 was perhaps a fitting reply to the League of Delta Patriots which had last Monday published an advertorial describing the one year anniversary of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori as a non-event.

The group had alleged that the governor had no project to commission in the first year. Even more, the group alleged that Governor Oborevwori had taken a personal grip on the finances of the state leading to a state of discord within the ranks of the state administration.

Within hours of the publication last Monday, President Jonathan was in Delta to commission the high court complex. It was within that judicial ambience, Nigeria’s most loved former leader gave what appeared to be his judgment on the altercations between those in power and their antagonists.

Dr Jonathan said:

“There are some people who believe that they must bring a government down for the purpose of politics, but when you are struggling to bring a governor or president down for the purpose of politics, you are bringing the state or country down.”

While it remains a matter of guess as to whether President Jonathan was familiar with the publication of the League of Delta Patriots, the former president was, however, on spot to identify with the righteous inclinations of the Delta governor.

For the first time Dr Jonathan brought to the knowledge of many the fact that Oborevwori as speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly quietly returned an untilised N500m in the House budget.

As Dr Jonathan said:

“It is not easy for a public officer or even a civil servant to refund money to the government in most cases; it is extremely difficult, but as a Speaker, you were able to do that and that shows that you are somebody of high level of integrity and you can be trusted.”

The act of ‘Nicodemusly’ returning that hefty amount of money when he as speaker could have pocketed it was one trait that made the former president to identify his host as a man of integrity.

The revelation by Dr Jonathan put to summary dismissal the insinuations that the governor had hijacked the finances of the state.

Where the Delta League of Patriots failed to succeed with questioning the integrity quotient of the governor, they, resorted to the allegation of incompetence especially with the claim that Oborewvori had not commissioned a single project since he became governor.

That assertion was obviously rebuffed by Jonathan with his commendation of the state-of-the-art judiciary complex which he described as among the best in the country.

President Jonathan in rebuffing the assertion of incompetence said:

“I believe that if you go across the country today, this is one of the best judiciary headquarters in the country and I congratulate the Governor and the judiciary of Delta State for this exemplary project.”

It is remarkable that the Delta State commissioner for information, Dr Ifeanyi Osuoza has replied to the issues of poor service delivery made by the League of Delta Patriots with specific mention of projects undertaken and commissioned by the incumbent governor.

Remarkably, Dr Osuoza claimed that Oborevwori is also building on the projects commenced by his predecessors, a trait of political maturity that is rare in these shores.

During a pass-through the state, your correspondent saw remarkable evidence of Oborevwori doing MORE as his supporters are wont to say.

Bridges and schools like the Dennis Osadebey University in Asaba commenced by Dr Ifeanyi Okowa are getting the MORE attention. Indeed at one of the lecture theatres with state of the art teaching equipment at the Asaba University started and completed by the Oborevwori adminstration, your correspondent poked at the vice chancellor, Prof Ben Ogujafor asking if students were expected to sit on the cosy seats. His response was revealing. In answer, he asked if the students are not human beings. According to him, the students were being brought up not like wild animals but with the best of what could bring out their humanity and resourcefulness. The response was indeed sobering and reflective of what governments everywhere should be doing.

If Oborevwori returned N500m that he ordinarily would have pocketed, it showed a degree of righteousness which he should build upon not only to build a lasting legacy in Delta but a good name that the Bible says is better than riches.

Whatever is the judgment of some patriots who think Oboverwori has not done well, some other patriots in Delta State are singing a different tune. He has started well, he should be encouraged to do MORE.