The Ovie of Uvwie Kingdom, Delta State, Emmanuel Sideso, Abe I, has decried infrastructure deficits across the state, including Osubi Airstrip, ports, and roads, among others.
He called on President Bola Tinubu to take swift action.
Sideso spoke at a reception in honour of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Olorogun Festus Keyamo (SAN), at his palace.
Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, represented by Commissioner for Works (Rural and Riverine Areas); former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan; chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), federal and state government functionaries, and captains of industries, including aviation stakeholders, were among those who graced the event.
The traditional thanked President Tinubu for Keyamo’s ‘back-to-back appointment as Minister’, describing it as a ‘personal triumph’. He, however, noted that Urhobo nation, and Deltans at large, are expectant of the Tinubu-led government to fix the dire state of infrastructure in the state to improve the people’s economic fortunes.
He said: “We seek revitalisation and upgrade of the Osubi Airport to a world class airport; revitalisation and revamping of the NPA ports at Warri, Sapele and Koko, to accommodate bigger vessels; release and reversion of the portion of our land which was acquired for the Army’s use as barracks which are now being sold to private developers.”
The monarch also appealed for full implementation of the Act establishing the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE) to enable adequate funding of the institution, as well as reconstruction of the failed Warri-Effurun-Sapele-Benin Road and the Orerokpe-Eku-Abraka-Agbor roads which have become ‘an embarrassment to the Niger Delta’.
Sideso urged Keyamo to ensure completion of federal projects he attracted to the area during the past administration, saying ‘this time around, the entire Urhobo nation are eager to see what you will do to Osubi Airport’.
Keyamo promised to carry the king’s requests to the President, and also affirmed that his return as Minister, first in the history of Delta State, was ‘by the grace of God Almighty’ and not because he is ‘exceptional’.
“Once God does that for you, you should realise that he’s not doing it for you. He’s actually doing it for the people you represent. And so this office is one that belongs to all, not myself. So I feel the weight of expectations on my shoulders. I see my people, the Urhobo people, the Niger Delta people.
“Perhaps we have suffered for so long in so many areas, and it is time that we begin to push our sons and daughters to very prominent positions to speak up and speak out on our behalf,” he added.
Keyamo acknowledged the need to do something about the Osubi Airport and others linking the Southsouth, saying ‘we have concern for almost all the airports in the country, especially the ones that have very poor infrastructure in terms of navigational equipment and all others. We are concerned about all of them and we shall give equal attention to all’.
Governor Oborevwori described Keyamo as a man who had made his mark before joining the political terrain, stressing that ‘politics didn’t make him’.
He urged the minister to not leave the state behind in whatever is due it, adding that “Delta is proud of your achievements, as well as the fact that you have been selected by our president to represent us at the Federal level. And we are not in doubt that you are going to give us a very worthy representation” he added.
