• Akpabio, Oshiomhole, Nwoko, others highlight his legacy

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

Senate, yesterday, paid tribute to former governor of Delta State, Emmanuel Uduaghan, recalling his contributions to peace-building in the Niger Delta, regional economic integration, and the development of healthcare and infrastructure during his eight-year administration.

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, highlighted Uduaghan’s role in the BRACED Commission, a regional development initiative involving Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo and Delta states, as well as his participation in efforts by South-south governors to address militancy in the Niger Delta.

Akpabio said the former governor worked with other governors in the region and the administration of former President Umaru Yar’Adua towards the amnesty initiative that helped restore relative peace in the oil-producing communities.

The senate’s tributes followed a motion by Senator Joel-Onowakpo Thomas (Delta South) and co-sponsored by Senators Ned Nwoko (Delta North), Ede Dafinone (Delta Central), and Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central), following the death of the former governor on October 19. He was 71.

Lawmakers who contributed to the debate highlighted Uduaghan’s record in healthcare delivery, education, transportation, and economic diversification, describing his years in public service as significant to the development of Delta State and the wider South-south region.

Moving the motion, Thomas described the deceased as a distinguished medical practitioner, statesman, and public servant whose eight years as governor left an imprint on the political, social, and economic development of Delta State.

Thomas said Uduaghan’s medical background shaped his administration’s emphasis on healthcare, particularly through programmes that provided free medical services to pregnant women, nursing mothers and children under five.

He also cited investments in the Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara, and initiatives aimed at improving education, including the rehabilitation of public schools, the Edu-My-Child programme, scholarships, and assistance for students taking public examinations.

On infrastructure, the senator listed road construction, transportation projects, and the development of Asaba International Airport among the major initiatives undertaken during Uduaghan’s administration.

He added that the former governor’s Delta Beyond Oil agenda sought to reduce the state’s dependence on crude oil revenue by encouraging agriculture, tourism and the growth of small and medium-scale enterprises.

Contributing to the debate, Dafinone said the late governor’s legacy should be assessed by the lives he touched through public service.

“Public service is marked by the number of lives touched in service, and there is no doubt that in his eight years as governor, his position as Secretary to the State Government and Commissioner for Health, our late governor touched very many lives,” he said.

Former Edo State governor and senator for Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, highlighted Uduaghan’s contribution to regional integration through the BRACED Commission.

Oshiomhole said the initiative was designed to move the six South-south states beyond periodic meetings towards a coordinated development framework that could harness the region’s natural resources and human capital.

He recalled that Uduaghan provided logistical support for the establishment of a secretariat to coordinate the commission’s activities.

Oshiomhole stated, “Emmanuel Uduaghan was not lost in the Itsekiri people. He may have been born as an Itsekiri man by accident of birth, but actually, he was a proud son of Delta, and he deployed all he had to upgrade the living standard of Delta.”

Nwoko, in his contribution, recalled discussions with Uduaghan about the development of Asaba International Airport during his time in the House of Representatives between 1999 and 2003.

He said the proposal initially encountered opposition from the administration of former Governor James Ibori, which argued that Delta State already had an airport at Osubi, near Warri.

Nwoko’s account highlighted the policy discussions that preceded the development of the Asaba airport, which subsequently became an important transportation facility for the state.

Senator Francis Faduyile, a medical doctor representing Ondo South, described Uduaghan as a role model whose professional background informed his commitment to improving healthcare delivery.

Faduyile recalled the former governor’s interventions in the health sector and his participation in a National Health Summit organised by the Nigerian Medical Association.

Akpoti-Uduaghan, who described the deceased as her in-law, spoke of his compassion, gentleness, and willingness to offer counsel and support to members of his family.

“He is a father figure to many, and to me, he goes beyond being an in-law,” she said.

At the end of the deliberations, the senate observed a minute’s silence in honour of the former governor and extended its condolences to his family and the people of Delta State.

Born on October 22, 1954, in Abigborodo, Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State, Uduaghan trained as a medical doctor at the University of Benin before entering public service.

He served as Delta State Commissioner for Health in 1999, Secretary to the State Government from 2003 to 2007, and governor from May 29, 2007 to May 29, 2015.