Uduaghan revolutionised governance in Delta State , says Ogeah

Former Delta State Commissioner for Information, Chike Ogeah, has described the late former governor, Dr Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, as a visionary leader who revolutionised governance through innovative policies and programmes aimed at improving the lives of residents. Ogeah, who served during Uduaghan’s second term as governor, said the former governor demonstrated that state governments could do much more to improve the welfare of their people. In a condolence statement following Uduaghan’s death in the early hours of Monday, Ogeah said the late governor’s overriding concern was improving living standards across Delta State.

“I am deeply saddened by the passing of this great man. I had the privilege of working closely with him in his second term as Commissioner for Information. His major preoccupation was always what to do to improve the quality of living of the people and residents of Delta State,” he said.

Ogeah said Uduaghan measured development by its impact on the people, noting that the former governor introduced programmes designed to improve healthcare, education, infrastructure and human capital development. He cited the maternal and child healthcare initiative as one of Uduaghan’s landmark programmes, under which children below five years, pregnant women and nursing mothers received free healthcare. According to Ogeah, Uduaghan’s background as a medical doctor and administrator helped him drive the initiative with considerable commitment.

“The initiative revolutionised health services in Nigeria because it was unknown in the country. His background as an accomplished medical practitioner and administrator equipped him for the project, and he drove it with immense passion,” he said. On education, Ogeah recalled that Uduaghan built modern classrooms and equipped science laboratories across the state.

He also highlighted the EduMarshal project, which was introduced to ensure that school-age children attended classes during school hours. Under the initiative, parents of children found hawking on the streets during school hours were apprehended and prosecuted, he said. Ogeah added that Uduaghan established a scholarship scheme for Delta State indigenes who graduated from Nigerian universities with first-class degrees, awarding each beneficiary N5 million to pursue further studies anywhere in the world.

Describing Uduaghan’s economic vision, the former …