Encomium
‘He is a man of law and order’
Permanent Secretary (PS), Government House and Protocol, Anthony Chuck Obuh has appraised his boss and governor of Delta State, Dr Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan. He described him as a very hard working and intelligent leader.
Obuh who is being rumoured to be the only viable successor among the many guber aspirants in the state extolled the leadership qualities of the medical practitioner turned politician, having worked with him for about a decade.
In a chat with ENCOMIUM Weekly recently, Obuh said, “My impression of Dr Uduaghan is guided by my experience with him over time. He believes in law and order, always playing by the rules which we call due process. I met him first as a director in the Secretary to the State Government, SSG’s office. He later came in as a politician. Although, politicians have their own approach to governance, he was different, working side by side with career civil servants. Usually, politicians would want to brush aside civil servants but from time to time, it was even he who brought my attention to the provisions of the rules.
“Without any doubt, the governor reads a lot when it comes to considering matters referred to him and he takes time to read from page to page, including memos sent to him to educate himself before taking the right decision. He would highlight several portions of the memos and do cross referencing of files before him to take the final decision.
“The governor is meticulous in taking decisions. Some observers were persuaded that the governor appeared to have exhibited even greater energy and speed. The second term burst of energy of governor Uduaghan does not mean he was not working before.
“During that period, the governor was steadily articulating his work plans, dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s. That physical structures would not have been on the ground if the governor was sleeping. Today, we are reaping the fruits and benefits of meticulous planning by the governor.
“Even ordinary state functions, the governor participates in the implementation stages and takes you through the whole programme, item by item. He is somebody that can be easily referred to as a man with a lion’s heart. “And people without that make-up cannot embark on such projects as Asaba Internat-ional Airport, the Ughelli-Asaba dual carriage way, the Warri Industrial Park, Koko-Ugbenu high-way, Ode-Itsekiri road and bridge, model primary and secondary schools, health facilities and hospital across the state too numerous to mention.
“He’s a man with a great feeling for humanity, even in the SSG years, he spent his private money for people who were medically challenged. The man is God conscious and spends a lot of resources in the service of God. He’s equally passionate about education and health matters and all these will outline him and put his name on the sand of time.”
– TADE ASIFAT
