The Delta State Government has announced fresh measures to cushion the effects of economic hardship and boost the purchasing power of residents through infrastructure development, workers’ welfare, empowerment programmes and strategic investments.

The State Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, disclosed this on Thursday while addressing a press conference in Asaba.

He said Governor Sheriff Oborevwori had directed the administration to intensify programmes capable of stimulating economic activity at the grassroots and ensuring that the benefits of ongoing economic reforms were felt directly by households.

Aniagwu, who was accompanied by the Executive Assistant to the Governor on New Media, Mr Felix Ofou, said the state’s improved financial position had enabled the government to undertake major capital projects while deliberately deploying resources to stimulate local economic activity rather than fuel inflation.

“The governor has directed that we intensify efforts at rolling out programmes that will indeed improve the purchasing power of our people,” Aniagwu said.

He explained that the planned massive renovation of schools across the state was part of the strategy, noting that the projects would create opportunities for contractors, artisans, suppliers and traders in local communities.

He said materials such as cement and roofing sheets would largely be sourced locally, ensuring that government expenditure circulated within the communities where the projects were being executed and created a multiplier effect through increased earnings and household spending.

The commissioner also disclosed that the state government was working to institutionalise the proposed payment of a 13th-month salary through legislation.

He said the initiative was not intended as indiscriminate distribution of funds but as a deliberate intervention to increase the disposable income of civil servants and stimulate economic activity.

“Once this fund gets to the hands of the civil servants, that civil servant is also enabled to spend money in certain directions. That way, government would have been able to take the benefit of the reforms from the macro level to the micro level,” he said.

Aniagwu further revealed that the governor had directed government agencies responsible for empowerment to commence the process of identifying beneficiaries for various programmes.

The agencies include the Office of the Chief Job Creation Officer, the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Social Development, the Ministry of Youth Development and the Ministry of Science and Technology.

According to him, the programmes would provide business support, new skills and other forms of empowerment to enable beneficiaries to become economically productive.

He linked the administration’s continuing investment in road construction to its economic stimulation strategy, saying roads connecting communities and opening up economic corridors would reduce transportation difficulties, facilitate the movement of goods and services and create a more conducive environment for businesses.

Aniagwu said the government was also pursuing investment opportunities arising from the state’s economic and investment summit, including efforts to attract investment in the production of poultry feed and other agricultural inputs.

He said this would reduce the amount of capital leaving the state to procure such materials from other parts of the country while creating employment and business opportunities for farmers and investors.

The commissioner said the government’s improved revenue position and liquidity would not be used for indiscriminate spending but channelled into projects and programmes capable of stimulating sustainable economic growth.

He said the administration’s investments cut across education, healthcare, roads, housing and empowerment, with the ultimate objective of making residents more financially resilient.

He also cited the construction of additional residential quarters for medical personnel, particularly doctors, as part of efforts to improve public services and address brain drain in the health sector, saying decent accommodation would help retain critical personnel and improve healthcare delivery.

Aniagwu acknowledged the economic difficulties associated with the removal of fuel subsidy and other reforms at the federal level but said the Delta Government was determined to mitigate their impact on residents.

He noted that while some of the reforms might have been necessary, their implementation could produce unintended consequences and “grey areas” requiring intervention.

“We are convinced that efforts are also being made to address those grey areas, just as we are doing in Delta, so that the benefit of this removal can move beyond the macro level and come to the micro level,” he said.

He urged Deltans not to allow their present economic difficulties to determine their expectations of the future, stressing that the government’s programmes were designed to create a path towards greater economic stability.

As the 2027 elections approach, Aniagwu said the Oborevwori administration would remain focused on governance and projects capable of producing tangible benefits for the people rather than politically motivated cash distribution.

He called on residents to support the programmes, saying the objective was to ensure that as Delta State grows economically, its people would also experience corresponding improvements in their purchasing power and standard of living.

Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian Army Headquarters to site the headquarters of the newly created 83 Division of the Nigerian Army in Delta State.

Oborevwori made the appeal when he received a committee from the Nigerian Army Headquarters on a stakeholders’ consultative visit to the state as part of consultations on the realignment of Areas of Responsibility arising from the creation of the 83 Division.

The committee was led by the Chief of Army Standards and Evaluation, Major-General Thompson Bobby Ugiagbe.

The governor argued that Delta was strategically positioned to host the division headquarters because of its central location among Delta, Edo and Bayelsa states, as well as its concentration of critical national oil and gas assets.

According to him, locating the headquarters in Delta would enhance the Army’s response time and improve the protection of strategic national assets across the South-South region.

“Delta State is more central. Somebody coming from Edo will come through Delta, while somebody coming from Bayelsa to Edo will also pass through Delta. If the headquarters is located here, everybody can connect to the centre,” Oborevwori said.

He noted that Delta accounts for a significant proportion of Nigeria’s oil and gas production and has other strategic assets requiring adequate security protection.

The governor said the state also had three airports and four seaports, making it strategically suitable for the proposed formation.

“We have three airports in Asaba, Osubi and Escravos and we also have seaports in Warri, Burutu, Sapele and Koko. These are critical assets that require security,” he said.

Oborevwori appealed to the committee to recommend Delta as the headquarters location to the Chief of Army Staff and the President, stressing that the state was prepared to support the establishment of the formation.

He said the state government was ready to provide land and temporary facilities and contribute financially towards the effective take-off of the new formations.

“This is not a passive appeal for the constitution of the division. It is a request for partnership from a state that understands what is at stake,” the governor said.

Oborevwori recalled that his administration had provided land and infrastructure support for military formations already established in the state, assuring that the government would continue to support the Nigerian Army.

He also said Delta had a large pool of retired senior military officers, including several retired four-star generals, arguing that locating the division headquarters in the state would also be a fitting recognition of their service to the nation.

Earlier, Ugiagbe conveyed the goodwill of the Chief of Army Staff and expressed appreciation to the governor and people of Delta for their support for the Nigerian Army.

He explained that the creation of the 83 Division followed President Tinubu’s approval for the expansion of the Nigerian Army from eight to 12 divisions.

He said the new 83 Division would have responsibility for Delta, Edo and Bayelsa states, adding that the restructuring would lead to the creation of additional military units to strengthen security coverage and prevent gaps in the existing arrangement.

According to him, Delta State would retain the 63 Brigade headquarters in Asaba, three battalion in Warri, the 90 Amphibious Battalion and the 181 Battalion.

He disclosed that the state would also receive three additional units — the 246 Recce Battalion already established in Oleh, a new Field Artillery Regiment and an Air Defence Regiment.

Ugiagbe said the additional formations were necessitated by Delta’s strategic importance and the need to strengthen the Army’s footprint across the state.

He explained that the Army had proposed locating the Field Artillery Regiment close to the brigade headquarters, while the Air Defence Regiment is being proposed for Osubi because of its strategic importance and proximity to critical infrastructure, including the airport.

“The Air Defence Regiment provides a large coverage for critical assets like airports, refineries and other critical national infrastructure,” he said.

The Army chief also sought the state government’s support for temporary facilities and land to enable the new formations to commence operations while permanent infrastructure was being developed.

He said the Army would subsequently work with the state’s relevant agencies, including its mapping and geographical information authorities, to identify and properly document the land required for the new formations.

Ugiagbe stressed that the Army’s deployment strategy was aimed at ensuring geographical spread and reducing response time to security threats across the division’s area of responsibility.

The Delta State Government has approved the reconstruction of the 9.35-kilometre Ezhionum–Ogume Road at an estimated cost of more than N7 billion, alongside massive rehabilitation and reconstruction work in primary and secondary schools across the state.

The decision was among the major resolutions reached at Monday’s State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori.

Briefing journalists after the meeting, Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, said the project would open up rural communities in Ndokwa, improve connectivity and stimulate economic activities in the area.

Moreover, following the resolution to renovate primary and secondary schools across the state, Ministries of Primary and Secondary Education have been directed to immediately assess schools across the state’s 25 local government areas and identify the ones requiring rehabilitation or complete reconstruction.

He said the intervention was aimed at providing pupils, students and teachers with safer and more conducive environments for teaching and learning.

“The governor has directed that the two ministries should immediately come up with the scope of these different schools that need to be rehabilitated or reconstructed so that government can immediately proceed to put them in order,” Aniagwu said.

The commissioner said the decision formed part of the administration’s broader commitment to improving public infrastructure and delivering visible projects across the state.

Also, Exco moved to boost workers’ welfare, with the approval of the construction of 12 additional duplexes for Permanent Secretaries. Aniagwu recalled that the administration recently inaugurated new residential quarters for Permanent Secretaries and provided them with official vehicles.

The commissioner also disclosed that the state government was working on a proposal, to be backed by legislation, for the payment of a 13th-month salary to civil servants.

He described the proposed payment as a reward for workers’ dedication and contribution to the development of the state.

The Council also approved additional residential quarters for members of the Delta State House of Assembly, following the increase in the number of constituencies from 29 to 38. The development will bring nine additional lawmakers into the Assembly.

Aniagwu said Governor Oborevwori had directed the Ministry of Housing to commence the process of providing accommodation for the incoming legislators ahead of their assumption of office.

Aniagwu also announced approval for the construction of 92 residential quarters for medical personnel at the Osubi Specialist Hospital, adding that the accommodation comprises 24 units for resident doctors and 68 units for house officers.

He said the project was part of the administration’s efforts to improve the welfare of healthcare workers and provide better working conditions at the facility.

Other road projects approved include; the reconstruction of Uba Egbelemeji–Ugbenikoko Road in Warri North; rehabilitation and reconstruction of Mosogar Community Road Junction–Okwueka Road; and reconstruction of the Old Oviorie–Agbarho–Eku Road.

To tackle flooding around the Specialist Hospital in Asaba, the Council according to Aniagwu, approved the completion of the storm drainage project around the facility.

Similarly, the government approved the reconstruction of internal roads at Warri Central Hospital to improve access and movement for patients, healthcare workers and visitors.

Speaking further, he said Exco equally approved the termination of some contracts over poor performance, adding that the affected contracts were terminated following recommendations by the State Tenders Board after the contractors failed to deliver the projects at the expected pace.

Among the contracts terminated were; the Okerenkoko Township Road; construction of Adjei Street and School Road with interlocking stones at a new layout in Warri South; and the permanent office complex for the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC).

He said the termination would allow the government to commence fresh procurement processes and re-award the projects to contractors with the capacity to deliver them.

Aniagwu said the decisions underscored the administration’s determination to ensure timely delivery of public projects and prevent taxpayers’ money from being tied down in abandoned or poorly executed projects.

He listed the massive school rehabilitation programme, additional accommodation for Permanent Secretaries, lawmakers’ quarters and major road projects among the key decisions taken at the Executive Council meeting.

Asaba, the Delta State capital, was agog on Saturday as governors, deputy governors, political leaders, traditional rulers, religious leaders, captains of industry and other dignitaries from across the country converged for the wedding ceremony of Innocent Oborevwori, son of Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, to his heartthrob, Tobore Arigbodi, daughter of Chief Brodericks Arigbodi.

Among the governors who graced the occasion were AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, Monday Okpebholo of Edo State, Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State, Ahmed Usman Ododo of Kogi State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State, Uba Sani of Kaduna State, Ahmad Aliyu of Sokoto.State and Mohammed Umar Bago of Niger State.

First Ladies from several states, including Kwara, Kogi, Gombe, Taraba, Nasarawa, Cross River, Ekiti, Sokoto, Kaduna, Borno, Bauchi, Abia, Osun, Edo and Imo, were also in attendance.

The ceremony also attracted the Deputy Governor of Delta State, Sir Monday Onyeme; Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Patricia Obila; and the Deputy Governor of Kano State, alongside other senior government officials and political leaders.

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, was among the dignitaries who attended the wedding.

Other prominent personalities at the occasion included the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Chief Festus Keyamo; former Delta State governors, Chief James Ibori and Senator Ifeanyi Okowa; Senator Joel-Onowakpo Thomas; Senator Ede Dafinone; members of the National Assembly; the Minister of State for Health, Dr Tunji Alausa; the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Emomotimi Guwor; former speakers of the Assembly; and the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka.

Traditional rulers at the ceremony included the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, HRM Major General Felix Mujakperuo (retd.); the Olu of Warri, HRM Atuwatse III; and the Dein of Agbor, HRM Keagborekuzi II and a host of others.

Also present was the Chairman of Access Bank Plc, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede; the Managing Director of Zenith Bank Plc, Dr Adaora Umeoji; UBA MD Oliver Alawuba; Managing Director of PremiumTrust Bank, Emmanuel Efe Emefienem; other captains of industry.

The solemnisation of the marriage was held at the Living Faith Church (Winners’ Chapel), Ibusa Road, Asaba, where the State Pastor, Pastor Shiyanbade Adekunle, charged the newlyweds to build their marriage on wisdom, sacrificial love, mutual respect and commitment.

Adekunle, in his sermon, described wisdom as the “working capital of marriage”, stressing that couples must rely on God and His Word to successfully navigate the different seasons of married life.

At the reception held at the Event Centre, Asaba, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State, who chaired the occasion, congratulated the couple and their families on the union.

Sani described the wedding as more than a celebration of love, saying it represented the coming together of two families, histories and destinies.

“It is with profound joy and a deep sense of privilege that I stand before you today as chairman of this beautiful reception, celebrating a union that has brought together two families, two histories and two destinies in the sacred covenant of matrimony,” he said.

The governor said the occasion marked the fulfilment of parental hopes and the beginning of a new chapter in the lives of the couple, who had chosen to walk through life together.

“May your home be a place of peace when the world is at war, a place of laughter when days are hard, and a place of prayer when challenges come,” he said.

He concluded by congratulating the couple and wishing them a long, fruitful and beautiful marital journey.

The wedding brought together political leaders across party lines, traditional rulers, business leaders and religious figures, turning Asaba into a gathering point for Nigeria’s political, business, traditional and religious elite.

Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, has attributed the successful completion of the marriage ceremonies of his son, Innocent, and Tobore Arigbodi to the faithfulness and grace of God.

Speaking on Sunday after a thanksgiving service at Living Faith Church, Ibusa Road, Asaba, the Governor thanked family members, guests, political associates, traditional rulers and well-wishers for their support, prayers and presence throughout the celebrations.

Oborevwori said God was with the families during the traditional marriage, church wedding, reception ceremony and thanksgiving, providing favourable weather, protection and journey mercies for guests who travelled from different parts of Nigeria and beyond.

“From the traditional marriage to the church wedding and now this thanksgiving service, God has been with us every step on the way,” he said.

He described the massive turnout as remarkable, noting that some people attended without formal invitations simply to share in the family’s joy. He thanked everyone who contributed to the success of the celebrations and prayed for the newlyweds.

“We pray that the new couple will enjoy a peaceful, prosperous, fruitful and God-centred marriage,” he said, adding, “To God alone be all the glory, now and forever.”

Father of the bride, Chief Brodericks Arigbodi, described the wedding as the beginning of a new chapter for the couple and expressed gratitude to God for the successful ceremonies.

Arigbodi said the family was grateful for God’s provision, which enabled relatives, friends and well-wishers to travel from across Nigeria and beyond to celebrate the union, noting that the traditional marriage was held in Isiokolo on August 26.

He prayed that God would keep the couple together, strengthen their love and help them fulfil their dreams and urged the couple to make God the foundation of their marriage.

He advised them to be guided by Christian principles, saying this would help them remain committed to each other and build a happy and enduring home.

Earlier in his sermon, Pastor Samuel Johns urged Christians to take responsibility for their health, stressing that while God heals, believers must avoid habits that could harm their bodies.

Johns said some afflictions could result from satanic attacks or generational battles and urged believers to trust God for healing and restoration.

He identified Holy Communion, anointing oil and prophetic mantles as provisions for healing, stressing that their effectiveness depends on faith rather than the objects themselves.

He prayed for divine restoration for those experiencing setbacks and also offered prayers for peace, progress and prosperity in Nigeria.

Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, has commended the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for commencing the reconstruction of considerable 15.4-kilometre failed portion of Benin-Sapele Expressway, describing the intervention as a major boost to connectivity, economic activities and the wellbeing of residents in the state and motorists.

Oborevwori gave the commendation on Friday at the flag-off of the reconstruction project at Amukpe Roundabout, Sapele, Delta State.

The governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, said the intervention underscored the importance of collaboration among governments and agencies in tackling infrastructure challenges across the Niger Delta.

Aniagwu said the state government had also intervened in several federal road corridors in Delta State because the ultimate beneficiaries were Deltans, irrespective of whether such roads fell under federal or state jurisdiction.

According to him, the state government had constructed more than five kilometres of rigid-pavement dual carriageway along the Warri axis, while bridges and flyovers had also been constructed along federal road corridors, including at Otovwodo Junction, DSC Roundabout, PTI Junction and Enerhen Roundabout and Uromi Junction, Agbor.

“We don’t differentiate,” Aniagwu said, stressing that the state government had spent over N300 billion on federal corridors to make them motorable and reduce the hardship faced by road users.

He described the NDDC intervention on the Benin-Sapele corridor as a welcome development, saying that when completed, it would ease transportation and contribute to the economic growth of Delta State and indeed other states on the East West corridor.

The commissioner appealed to residents and other stakeholders to cooperate with the contractors to ensure timely completion of the project.

Aniagwu also urged residents to desist from vandalising critical infrastructure, citing the recent discovery of damaged components on the First Niger Bridge.

He warned that the removal of components from the First Niger Bridge could compromise its structural integrity and endanger road users.

Chairman of the NDDC Governing Board, Mr Chiedu Ebie, said the commission commenced the reconstruction following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to address the hardship being experienced by motorists and other road users along the corridor.

Ebie said the commission was determined to complete the project and bring relief to commuters who had endured prolonged delays and difficult travelling conditions on the road.

He assured residents that two contractors would be deployed to work from opposite ends of the project to accelerate completion.

According to him, the Benin-Sapele Expressway is not merely a regional road but a critical national economic corridor linking the South-South with other parts of the country.

He disclosed that the NDDC had also taken steps to terminate and re-award the contract for the Abraka-Obiaruku-Abavo-Agbor Road following challenges encountered by the previous contractor.

NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, apologised to residents, community leaders and commuters for the hardship caused by the deplorable condition of the road, assuring them that relief was on the way.

Ogbuku said the intervention followed a directive from President Tinubu after the President saw videos and received complaints about the condition of the road.

He said the NDDC had engaged the Federal Ministry of Works, obtained the project design and secured approval for the site to be handed over to the commission for immediate intervention.

The NDDC boss said the road’s strategic importance made its reconstruction imperative, noting that it was a major federal route linking the South-West and North to the South-South.

Giving details of the project, the NDDC Executive Director, Projects, Engr. Victor Antai, said the reconstruction covered approximately 15.4 kilometres and would be executed with rigid concrete pavement.

Antai said China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and Ronin and Fan Limited had been engaged to execute the project.

Earlier, the Delta State representative on the NDDC Governing Board, Hon. Monday Igbuya, commended the commission for approving the reconstruction of the highway.

Igbuya appealed to the NDDC to extend its intervention to the Amukpe-Abraka-Agbor Road and the Sapele-Warri Road to further improve connectivity across Delta State.

In their goodwill messages, Senator Ede Dafinone and Hon. Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu commended President Tinubu and the NDDC for the intervention.

By Mr Tonnie-Egun writing from Agbor.

When a multinational writes a cheque for Nigeria, it is betting on the answer to one question, can I get my money out? Until recently the honest answer was no, not easily.
For instance, let us take Indomie as a case of study. The noodles consumed in millions of Nigerian homes are made by Dufil Prima Foods, the Nigerian manufacturer through which Indonesia’s food giant Indofood has built one of the country’s biggest food businesses. As the world watched the naira’s turbulence in 2024 and 2025, Indofood quietly deepened its Nigerian operations, seeing the market not as a place to leave but a place to build. That decision didn’t come out of nowhere. It dovetailed from the biggest shake-up of the foreign-exchange market by the Tinubu administration: one honest price for the dollar, and the freedom to trade at it by anyone.
The contrast speaks volumes. Before the Naira unification, Nigeria operated with two prices for the same dollar: an official rate that was artificially low and a parallel rate where everyone else bought theirs. In June 2023, the difference was about N461 against over N760. The spread was no curiosity. It was a machine of blight. A favored importer bought dollars at the official window and sold them on the street making hundreds of naira per dollar in the process without producing anything.
Even worse, the rationing that fed that machine drove serious companies away. During this period, GlaxoSmithKline, Procter & Gamble and Kimberly-Clark all left Nigeria citing the same killers: inability to source dollars and shrinking capacity to repatriate profits. But if a multinational can’t get its naira back into dollars, it stops investing, no matter how big the market is.
Unification solved both problems at once. In June 2023, the administration merged the multiple windows into one and allowed the naira to be traded on a willing buyer, willing seller basis. The round-tripping racket was deprived of its source of cheap dollars and the parallel-market premium collapsed. The Central Bank also took action in 2024 to clear the backlog of unmet dollar demand that had been strangling foreign firms, equally important.
This is the silent story of the Indomie decision. A company that watched Nigeria in 2023, where obtaining dollars was a matter of who you knew, by 2024 and 2025, saw a market with a single discoverable rate and a central bank working through its backlog. The change was not a slogan. It was the difference between exiting and evolving.

The same signal was sent to the capital markets. Nigeria’s return to the Eurobond space in late 2024 was oversubscribed, external reserves were rebuilt to the $50 billion level and the sovereign credit outlook improved. These are not abstract statistics, these are foreign money voting, in real time, on whether Nigeria has changed.
The honest condition still applies. The naira though transparent, is not strong yet. But it is by far stabilized. Families are no doubt feeling the cost of living every day. But the direction toward a system where the market, not a phone call, determines who gets dollars and where international and local investors judge Nigeria on its merits, rather than its connections is right.
In the 2027 election, the decision shall be whether to keep that Naira unified door open or allow the two-price system to creep back. It is just one cheque in a cascade of Indofood deals, but it tells the story in a sentence: as Nigeria stopped rationing dollars, and started to price them honestly, the companies that had been leavening quietly started to come back.

Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, on Thursday commemorated the state’s 35th anniversary, commending successive administrations and the people of Delta State for their contributions to its peace, stability and development.

Oborevwori spoke at a thanksgiving service held at the Government House Chapel, Asaba, to mark the anniversary of Delta State’s creation.

The governor described the 35th anniversary as an opportunity to celebrate Delta State’s achievements, reflect on its journey and renew the collective commitment to building a greater state.

He attributed Delta’s progress over the past 35 years to God’s grace, while commending Deltans for sustaining peace and acknowledging those who have contributed to the state’s growth and development.

“Let me first give thanks to Almighty God for His grace and for keeping Delta State for 35. It has been 35 years of a remarkable journey, and by God’s grace, we will continue to play our part to ensure that the achievements of our state are sustained and improved upon,” he said.

Oborevwori paid tribute to political leaders, past and present, for their contributions to Delta’s stability and democratic development. He noted that their wisdom, sacrifices, dialogue and commitment had helped the state maintain peace and achieve progress.

He also acknowledged the contributions of former military administrators and civilian governors, stressing that each administration had played a role in shaping present-day Delta State.

“Each administration has contributed a chapter to the history of our state, and we will not forget them,” the governor said.

He said the 35th anniversary provided an opportunity to recognise the contributions of the state’s diverse ethnic nationalities, religious communities and non-indigenes who had made Delta their home.

According to him, the state’s diversity remains one of its greatest strengths and a critical factor in its continued peace and development.

The governor said his administration had a responsibility to build on the foundations laid by previous governments rather than take past achievements for granted.

“Gratitude for the past must be accompanied by responsibility for the future,” he said, adding that his administration would continue to consolidate the gains of its predecessors while doing more for the people.

Oborevwori said the administration’s vision was to build a Delta State that is “more peaceful, prosperous, secure, inclusive and competitive, and better prepared for the opportunities of the future.”

He listed infrastructure, education, healthcare, human capital development, agriculture and technology as the administration’s priority areas, adding that it would also continue strengthening institutions, creating an environment where businesses could thrive and enabling young people to realise their potential.

He reiterated his administration’s commitment to inclusiveness, saying the government would continue to collaborate with religious and traditional leaders, political stakeholders, civil society organisations, organised labour, the private sector, women and communities across the state.

The governor particularly praised Deltans for maintaining peace, describing it as a major driver of the development recorded across the state.

“The peace we are enjoying today has brought development. If there were crises in the state, I don’t think we would be talking about the level of development we are witnessing today. I know that by the time we turn 40, Delta will still look better,” he said.

In his sermon titled “The Uniqueness of the Christian Faith,” Chaplain of the Government House Chapel, Asaba, Ven. Charles Osemenam, urged Deltans to deepen their relationship with God and place unwavering faith and trust in Him.

Osemenam described Delta State’s 35th anniversary as a time for thanksgiving and sober reflection, urging the people to acknowledge God’s role in the state’s journey and continue to seek His guidance.

The thanksgiving service was attended by the Wife of the Governor, Deaconess Tobore Oborevwori; the Deputy Governor, Sir Monday Onyeme; and other senior government officials.