By Barr Mary Oyibocha-Agbajoh
All Progressive Congress (APC) National Chairman Comrade Adams Oshiomole handling over the flag of recognition and authority to Delta State APC Governorship candidate, Chief Great Ovadje Ogboru during APC Zonal campaign at Cross Rivers State has no doubt set the ball rolling for him to take over the reign of leadership in Delta State.
President Mohammadu Buhari (right) and Chief Great Ogboru APC Delta State Gubernatorial Candidate (left) during the APC Presidential rally held at the Warri City Stadium , Delta State , Wednesday.
In addition, President Muhammadu Buhari’s presentation of a flag to Ogboru at the recent Delta APC Presidential flag off and the unprecedented crowd that witnessed the event at the Warri Township Stadium, Warri, Delta state is a serious signal to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state that the coming election is going to be a different ball entirely. It is equally warning signal that Chief Great Ogboru has come to collect what belongs to him.
The two aforementioned events has revealed that politicking in Delta State has started in earnest because Chief Ogboru is the only credible opposition that has what it takes to unseat PDP in Delta State. Having contested the governorship elections in Delta State for five times without success, it is amazing to enquire what gave him the zeal and determination that would make him want to contest again. His determination no doubt is based on his anxiety to rescue the people from the strangulation of PDP that has been ruling Delta state for the past sixteen years.
The unprecedented crowd witnessed at the Warri Township Stadium during Buhari visit is a revelation that Ogboru is still the peoples’ general as he is popularly called by his admirers
and they would want him to lead the battle of revamping the total collapsed of Delta State. They so much believe on him and it is glaring that he will not disappoint them should he be elected as the governor of Delta state.
Ogboru has the prerequisite to do things differently to the benefit of all should he wins the Delta State governorship election. This is because he is a leader who grew through the ropes. He saw both the good, bad and ugly as such he knows where the common man feels the pain and how to relieve it.
Ogboru was born in Port Harcourt to a father whose hometown was Abraka and a mother from Umukwata in Delta State. Ogboru received early education at Municipal Primary School, Port Harcourt, but left the city to continue studies at a primary school in Abraka, and finished primary education at Oharisi Primary School, Ughelli.
He attended a government college secondary school from 1971 – 1975, shortly after, he served as a teacher and while working, he obtained an external advanced level certificate in 1980. After teaching for four years, he was employed as a marketing officer in a fishing company in Lagos. Three years later, he left the fishing firm to start up his own private fishing business, Fiogret Ltd which later grew and expanded to some other African countries.
Within three years, Ogboru established many successful subsidiaries of Fiogret in quick succession including, Grato – a foremost furniture production company, GLE Finance, a finance company with bureau de change operations; Sofimar Fisheries – a USD 5 Million capitalised, USD25 Million assets base Joint Venture with the former Union Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) Government, Abraka Rubber Industries, Ajalomi Shipping Company, West Coast Publicity Company and Fiogret Express. He also got a banking licence from the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Delta State need the business experience of Ogboru for the economical and industrial development of the state which will lead to creation of jobs and better living for the people. He has the where wither on how to invite foreign investors to the state. Ogboru’s personality, political philosophy and governance agenda resonate with Deltans for good and obvious reasons. He is a visionary with immense capacity to create wealth and do things right. Principled and incorruptible, many rightly see in Ogboru the much-needed answer to Delta’s unpardonable governance decadence. Very kind at heart and soft in appearance, Ogboru is nonetheless generally known to be very tough against lawlessness and whatever that is corrupt.
While unveiling his manifesto for the state, Ogboru has promised to embark on a massive industrial renovation of moribund companies in the state amidst job creation for all Deltans. Other areas the governorship candidate hopes to address are the creation of Cluster Industrial Parks, sustainable agricultural revolution programme, infrastructural development, flood control and road network.
According to the manifesto, Ogboru who would be gunning for his sixth governorship run said he was inspired to run for the office by the “deep yearning of ordinary Deltans for good governance that has eluded the state for the past 20 years since its transition to democratic rule.â€
He noted that Deltans deserve the best of everything from good jobs to elating infrastructures to abundance of food and housing to innovative health care and standard education that breed creative and right thinking youths.
For Delta, Ogboru holds the firm view that the state is in a needlessly pitiable state and this must change for sustainable development. According to him, “Ours is a rescue mission for the good of all. Like the Asian Tigers, we must make deliberate haste to create a modern economy in Delta state for our people.
Ogboru is a politician with integrity. He has the technical capacities to handle those challenging assignments, plans and policies, projects, ideas and initiate solutions to problems bedeviling our dear State.
Ogboru has a marathoner’s mindset to necessary change. For him it requires courage, endurance, vision, and a constancy of purpose. He believes real change does not come on a platter of gold. For him, obstacles are enemies of change that must be successfully challenged.
For those that do not have an acquaintance of this dogged, but a natural fighter of any form of socio-political misrule, Great Ogboru was the only one who challenge James Onanefe Ibori on the platform of Alliance for Democracy (A.D) in 2003. He was by far the most popular, unfortunately he lost to People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Sustaining his tenacity, again he contested against Dr Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan in 2007 and 2011 under Democratic People’s Party (DPP). Even when he was ultimately forced for a re-run by the Court, he was also massively rigged. It was Deltans who suffered the brunt because they had a government they never yearned for.
Now, the wind of change has come. The wind of change that enthroned President Muhammad Buhari, would also be the same wind that will see Great Ogboru of the All Progressive Congress for Delta State win the governorship election. Deltans, irrespective of their age, level of education and status in the society, have an utmost confidence in Ogboru. He is the new face of politicians the State desperately need. Deltans are hopeful that the doors of Ogboru becoming the Delta State Governor in 2019 are not shut against him. He will get his mandate like the Abraham Lincoln of the United States and Muhammad Buhari of our country, Nigeria. His dogged fighting spirit and all efforts would be reinvigorated to take over the reigns of government in the State, draped in the All Progressive Congress (APC).
Agbajoh, a social commentator & political strategist writes from Abuja
