Hon. Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu and Purposeful Leadership, Superlative Performance: Following in Her Father’s Footsteps -By Jerome-Mario Utomi

Like father like daughter is probably the right phrase to use in emphasizing the impressive, superlative achievements and quality representation Rt. Hon. Erhiatake Ibori – Suenu has been bringing to bear on her constituency and constituents. Hon.  Erhiatake Ibori- Suenu is a member representing Ethiope Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives and when her achievements so far are juxtaposed with the exhilarating, life changing governance, her father and former governor of Delta state, His Excellency, James Onanefe Ibori gave the state, it would appear that service delivery runs in their bloodline.

Permit me to say here too that, between Hon. Suenu and His Excellency, it would appear that purposeful political leadership, people oriented achievements and performance are biologically transmitted or inherited.

Recently while addressing her constituents and political associates at her country home in Oghara, Ethiope West Local Government Area, Hon. Suenu, after a noticeable period of political networking at the National Assembly in Abuja, stated thus ‘’I am in Abuja knocking at doors for opportunities for my people of Ethiope federal and the doors are opening.  Soon you will hear the greater gospel of what quality and effective leadership skills can do’’

Some months after the comment, two separate but related developments have not only demonstrated the greater gospel of what quality and effective leadership skills can do, but evidently confirmed as true that Rt. Hon. Erhiatake who doubles as the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) was indeed in Abuja knocking at the doors of opportunity for the greater good of her constituents.

First was her timely and well thought out defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All-Progressive Congress (APC), an action which analysts described as a right step taken in the right direction, particularly, as it was motivated by public good and the principle of ‘’greater good for a greater number’’.

The second exciting development centres on her unprecedented and value addition empowerment worth over a billion Naira recently attracted to her constituents in Ethiope Federal Constituency which has distinctively kept tongues wagging.

To some, Rt. Hon. Erhiatake  Ibori Suenu exemplifies a lawmaker who is not at the National Assembly for self centric mission but to improve the living condition of her people. To others, her achievements so far significantly unveiled a well-prepared representative on a mission to lift her constituents out of poverty.

For me, I am not in any way surprise that Rt. Hon.  Erhiatake Ibori- Suenu is delivering quality and exemplary representation.  The reason for this feeling is predicated on two obvious realities.

Some months ago, I had a fortunate opportunity to witness the commissioning by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, electricity and road projects executed by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) at Okitipupa in Ondo state and Ogbia in Bayelsa state respectively.

At these events, I listened with rapt attention to the goodwill messages delivered by Rt. Hon. Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, as Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on NDDC.

Clearly, the content of her messages, going by objective assessment, presents a political leader vigorously desirous of success for the NDDC board, her speech projected her as one representative who want the NDDC Board and management to succeed in their statutory responsibility in ensuring that the Niger Delta region blossoms in infrastructure, health sector, environment and human capital development.

While she congratulated NDDC and the people of the region for the breakthroughs, Rt. Hon. Erhiatake Ibori Suenu was particularly loud and clear in her promise and willingness to take any positive legislative step that will assist the NDDC governing board and management as presently constituted, succeed in its statutory responsibility of bringing sustainable infrastructure and human capital development to the region and its people.

Another point relevant to this piece as to Rt. Hon. Erhiatake Ibori Suenu’s quality representation and service delivery is that as an Ibori, failure is not an option. Given her father’s performance as governor, no one is expecting less from her daughter and this is because as one African aphorism says, a lion does not birth a lamb.

Till this moment, Ibori’s reconfiguration for the better of Delta state still dominates political discourse in the state.

Former Governor Ibori himself recently, opened the floodgates of the memories of his eventful tenure as governor when he established the Otemu Educational Foundation (OEF). The birth of OEF is of course consistent with Ibori’s natural inclination to do good and spread smiles around.

Through the OEF, Chief Ibori aims at transforming the educational landscape for underprivileged students in Delta state. Consequently, consistent with Chief Ibori’s passion for discovering talents and investing in human capital development which was one of the fulcrum of his administration as governor, the OEF is committed to locating and sponsoring brilliant but indigent students in Delta state who cannot afford to pay their school fees.

OEF shows that Chief Ibori’s heart, whether in office or out of office, beats for his people, beats for Deltans and beats for Delta state.In retrospect, the Ibori years as Delta State helmsman cannot be forgotten in a hurry. Dogged, visionary, purpose driven and goal oriented,15 years after leaving office, a broad spectrum of Deltans remain nostalgic about his tenure. Many recall Ibori’s pioneering achievements which they say are indelible and boldly printed on the sands of time. Some of such indelible footprints of the former Governor include the establishment of five tertiary institutions in one fell swoop; three polytechnics, one college of education and one college of physical education. The polytechnics are the Delta State Polytechnics at Ozoro, Ogharefe and Ogwashi-Uku. He also established three campuses of the Delta State University at Abraka, Oleh and Anwai, and also initiated and built the Delta State University Teaching Hospital, DELSUTH at Oghara.

Equally worthy of note is Ibori’s construction of bridges to connect and open up hitherto hard to reached areas of the state such as Ughoton where the Omadina bridge now connects the community with other surrounding communities and ultimately with the rest of the state. Ibori’s administration also constructed other bridges; the Igbuku, Olomu and Bomadi bridges to facilitate movement of people, goods, commerce and services amongst other riverine communities with challenging terrains.

It was also to the credit of the Ibori administration that Ijaw communities in Delta State got connected to the national grid thus availing them the benefits of electricity supply; Ibori was the first ever Delta Governor to achieve that feat. In the same vein,  it was Ibori who conceived the idea of citing an Airport in Asaba, an idea that would later be brought to fruition by the subsequent administrations after his.

Beyond physical infrastructures, Ibori also built and cemented the infrastructure of peace and unity in Delta State through diplomacy, confidence building and equitable settlement, bringing the internecine deadly ethnic strife among some Delta communities, especially around the Warri axis, to a permanent end. One instrument Ibori employed to restore peace to the warring communities was the Ministry of Ethnic Relations and Conflict Resolution which he had created specifically for that purpose.

As Hon. Erhiatake Ibori- Suenu continues to saturate her constituents with goal- oriented representation and achievements; it is obvious that, like her father, her heart beats for the people. Indeed, it is a case of “like daughter like father!”

Utomi, a Media Specialist writes from Lagos, Nigeria. He could be reached via Jeromeutomi@yahoo.com/08032725374.