Delta@33: Founder Peace Legend Awards International Pays Special Tribute To Gov. Oborevweri Over Peace Building Effort
By Barth Ozah
A special tribute been accorded to Governor Sheriff Oborevweri of Delta State for placing high premium on peace building and security as evidence on his M.O.R.E agenda.
Founder Peace Legend Awards International, Mr Jesse Osero Amiri in a press statement made available to journalists in Asaba noted that the Oborevweri’s administration peace building mechanism is an enduring process that will eventually galvanize the different ethnic nationalities of the state under one thinking cap.
He said his organisation is particularly grateful to the Governor for reducing inter-ethnic conflicts, tensions and bickering in the state to its barest minimum saying as, “we progress towards attaining full statehood we believe that all Deltans will imbibe the culture of peaceful coexistence, good neighbourliness and respect for one another.”
Amiri felicitated with Deltans as the state clocks 33 on the 27th of August 2024 and commended governor Oborevwori for hosting the 13th edition of the event titled, “celebrating 50 LEGENDS/BRANDS TRANSFORMING DELTA STATE”
According to him the award ceremony is a grand event which will take place on the 25th of August, 2024 at the South end event centre, Asaba , Delta State.
“The awardees of this grand event are drawn from all walks of life including entertainment, academia, business, banking, media, politics, professional groups and organized labour. The list of awardees does not translate to Who is Who in Delta. The Award category has a defined and definite scope.
“To qualify for the award, one must have distinguished self in peace building and demonstrated selflessness in his contribution to the development of the state over a given period.”
The Founder revealed that after successfully organizing the programme in different states in Nigeria he decided to embark on home coming by marking Delta state at 33, celebrating 50 sons and daughters of Delta State extraction who have been the drivers of sustainable peace and development in the State.
Amiri noted that he was inspired by the peace and security being enjoyed in the state after tobulent period recalling how crises engulfed the state in 1991 when the state was created. He pointed out that the upcoming event was designed to enable Deltans assess the developmental processes that several drivers have undertaken in the state.
He emphasized that at inception Delta state was not as united like now. “There was mutual distrust amongst the ethnic components of Delta state. The Itsekiris were pitched against the Ijaws, the Urhobos were pitched against the Itsekiris while the Urhobos bickered over the choice of Asaba as the capital city. The choice of Asaba as capital was so offensive to the Urhobos that the first Executive Governor of the state, Olorogun Felix Ibru of blessed memory was reported to have literally Governed the state from his hometown Agbara -Otor.
“In the most part of the James Ibori Administration, the Itsekiris and the Ijaws were at each others jugular over the relocation of the headquarters of Warri South west from Ogbe-Ijo to Ogidigben.The altercation that followed led to killings, burning of houses with insecurity so rife that most oil majors together with several oil servicing companies left Warri for other more peaceful areas of Nigeria and even out of the shores of the country.
“The administration of Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan inherited this state of insecurity which took other turns like kidnappings and militancy struggle in the creeks. These militant agitations in the creeks nearly crippled the National economy to a halt due to organized pipelines vandalization, outright closure of oil well operations and disruption of pipelines flow of crude to oil refineries.
“Today, however the story is different. The Ijaws, the Itsekiris, the Isokos and the Anioma people now live in peace.
Apart from Government effort, there are some eminent Deltans who sacrificed their time, their resources and their expertise to contribute to state building process. They contributed to the peace we now enjoy in the State. There is no better time to honour these peace ambassadors of the state than the 33rd Anniversary of the state creation.
“The event is also geared towards encouraging other people in the state to contribute their quota in fostering peace and unity in Delta State, the big heart!
By this event the awardees have become peace ambassadors and therefore are expected to be role models to the youths and society in general.”
He said unlike in the past events of similar nature that are always male dominated, the organizers of this particular awards have carefully selected women who have distinguished themselves in their chosen careers to ensure that the event is gender friendly.