BY DENNIS OTU
I have a new boss. And today is his Birthday. I have tried to settle down few hours ago to put a piece together on his birthday. But it is always difficult to write tributes to your boss on his birthday. Am sure that you know better why it is hard to do so.
Rt. Hon.(Chief) Sheriff F. O. Oborevwori, JP, MNIM, the 13th Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly is my new boss. He was elected lawmaker to represent Okpe Constituency in the House in 2015. He is a holder of a prestigious traditional title, Ukodo of Okpe Kingdom (Ukodo means reservoir in Okpe).
But just before celebrating his two years in the House, he emerged as the 13th Speaker of the House and he may even be the youngest to have piloted affairs of the House. I stand to be corrected. To be specific, my new boss became Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly on May 11,2017, a day reggae music lovers all over the world were celebrating the 35th anniversary of Bob Marley.
I have been working very closely with the new Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly in the last few days and I have seen in him a man with uncommon passion for his job. He has a task and he is going about it diligently. I have seen in him, a leader determined to move the House in the right direction. I have seen in him these last few days a team leader. He works round the clock. I don’t really know where he is gets his extra strength from.
In his first major assignments on Thursday, June, 8,2017 after his emergence as the Speaker, he left no one in doubt of his ability to pilot the affairs of the House. That day was the press briefing to mark the 2nd anniversary of the 6th Assembly. It was a litmus test for the new Speaker and at the end of the day, he danced in the sun.
At the press briefing, the Speaker made it clear that the cordial working relationship between the Legislature and the Executive will be maintained.
The Speaker had said on June 8, 2017 that;”I want to commend His Excellency, Senator, Dr. Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa, the Governor of Delta State for his support to the Sixth Assembly. His favourable disposition towards the progress of this House is essentially inspired by the co-operative spirit existing between various arms of government in Delta State. On our part, we will continue to reciprocate the benevolent attitude of the Executive arm by giving prompt attention to passage of bills”.
And had added;”In a speech I delivered after my emergence as Speaker, I promised that the Legislature would continue to maintain a cordial working relationship with the Executive arm of Government. I restate that promise here today. We are determined more than ever to improve on our performance as we enter into the third legislative year. In the next parliamentary years, the House will ensure that it retains its focus. It will engage in deliberations and matters that would improve the fortune of Deltans”.
“I want to state here that as an arm of Government, the House has undergone some challenges. But by God’s grace, we have scaled the hurdles. Despite the May 11, 2017 unavoidable change in the Leadership of the House, Deltans should be rest assured that Members are united more than ever to take on the task ahead. As members of the Sixth Assembly, we will continue to keep faith with our duties of law making aimed at promoting order and good governance in Delta State”, the Speaker had also said on June 8, 2017.
The workaholic Speaker was deeply involved in the preparations for the celebration to mark the 2nd anniversary of the 6th Assembly. He was everywhere with eyes for details. He assigned responsibilities, but he never dished out orders. Things went on well as laid out for the celebration. He spent sleepless nights to ensure the success of the celebration. He is a man with an unquenchable taste for excellence.
Governor Okowa was at the Church to celebrate with the lawmakers and he was also hosted by the Speaker in a very special way at the official residence of the Speaker after the Church Service and am sure the Governor was highly impressed on that day.
As we were about driving out that wet Sunday morning for the Church Service ( Sunday, June 11, 2017), exactly a month of his emergence as the Speaker, he made it very clear to his son, his younger brother and others that drove all the way from Osubi, his community, near Warri to be part of the activities for the day that they MUST not follow his convoys. He maintains light convoys, he is a disciplinarian to the core and not one to break the law. After all he is the Chief Lawmaker in the State and number three citizen.
He also sounded it to them that on no account MUST they be at the venue for the reception where he hosted the Governor. An instruction well obeyed.
Rt. Hon. Oborevwori is a benefactor to many, with milk of human kindness flowing in his veins. He is a grassroot politician with listening ears. On Tuesday, June 13, 2017, he played host to members of TEAM OKOWA AGAIN from Sapele and he was amazed by the solidarity visit.
The National Coordinator, Team Okowa, Hon Austin Ayemidejor, while congratulating him on his emergence as Speaker which he described as liberation to the people of Sapele, revealed that his emergence caused a monumental whirl wind of jubilation in Sapele. He said the group’s visit was to identify with his leadership and to declare their support.
“We have come to pay solidarity visit to you and to celebrate you. You have always been with us, supported us, cooperated with us, lifted us up in your own way. Even before you became a member of the Assembly, as a Special Adviser, as a community leader, as the Ukodo of the Okpe kingdom. We are not here to bore you with speeches, but to let you know that you have our support”, Hon Ayemidejor had said.
Hailing the emergence of the Speaker, the leader of the group had stated; “Your emergence caused a monumental whirlwind of celebration and jubilation across the length and breadth of Sapele. Your emergence can be likened to the fall of the walls of Jericho. We are not going to mince words, we will be very blunt, very courageous and bold that we are your brothers, we will not deny you. Let me re-echo that as you have contributed immensely to the transformation of Okpe kingdom, that you should also bring the wealth of experience to the state to assist the Governor in transforming Delta State.”
The group declared their total support for the second term ambition of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa come 2019 because his overwhelming achievements even in the face of scarce resources, should be appreciated by all. “So our people came together to put this organization in place to carry out political evangelism to win souls for the PDP, to support his Excellency’s SMART Agenda in transforming Delta state,” Hon Ayemidejor stated.
Hon Ayemidejor had a soulmate in Hon Ejaife Odebala, Chairman of Sapele Local Government Area, who said in his remarks, that Team Okowa Again was not a hired crowd but people who are happy with Governor Okowa assuring that members of the Team will do their best to support the Governor always and reiterated that Sapele was excited on the emergence of Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori as the Speaker of the Delta Assembly and acknowledged his elevation as God’s design.
I join other teeming Deltans in this day of our Lord to wish the Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly, a respected community leader of one of the most organized communities in Delta State; a successful businessman, a disciplinarian, a core family man, a devout Christian, a modest achiever, a bridge builder and a political leader in Delta State a happy birthday and pray that God continue to guide and protect him and give him more strength and wisdom to carry on.
DENNIS OTU IS THE CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY TO THE DELTA STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY SPEAKER, OBOREVWORI
