Senate mourns Delta former gov Uduaghan

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The Senate Wednesday paid tribute to Emmanuel Uduaghan, former Delta state governor, who died  Monday, as lawmakers recalled his contributions to healthcare, education, infrastructure, and regional economic development.

The tributes came during a motion sponsored by Senator Joel-Onowakpo Thomas (Delta South) and co-sponsored by Senators Ned Nwoko (Delta North), Ede Dafinone (Delta Central) and Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

Moving the motion, Thomas described Uduaghan as a distinguished medical practitioner, statesman and public servant who contributed significantly to the political, social and economic development of Delta state.

Born on October 22, 1954, in Abigborodo, Warri North Local Government Area, 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.

Thomas said Uduaghan’s medical background shaped his administration’s healthcare priorities, including free maternal and under-five healthcare programmes aimed at reducing the financial burden of treatment on pregnant women, nursing mothers and children.

He also cited investments in the Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara, the rehabilitation of public schools, the Edu-My-Child programme, scholarships and support for public examinations.

The senator listed road construction, transportation infrastructure and the development of Asaba International Airport among the former governor’s achievements, adding that his Delta Beyond Oil agenda sought to diversify the state’s economy through agriculture, tourism and small and medium-scale enterprises.

Contributing, Dafinone said Uduaghan’s legacy should be measured 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.

Adams Oshiomhole, former Edo state governor, recalled Uduaghan’s contribution to regional cooperation through the BRACED Commission, which brings together Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo and Delta states.

He said the initiative was established to move the region beyond routine meetings towards a coordinated economic development agenda that would harness its natural resources and human capital.

Oshiomhole said Uduaghan provided logistical support for the establishment of a secretariat to drive the initiative.

“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,” he said.

Nwoko recalled Uduaghan’s role in the development of Asaba International Airport, saying the project followed discussions they had while Nwoko was a member of the House of Representatives between 1999 and 2003.

He said the project had initially faced resistance from the administration of former Governor James Ibori, which argued that the state already had an airport at Osubi, near Warri.

Senator Francis Faduyile, a medical doctor representing Ondo South, described Uduaghan as a role model in the profession, recalling his administration’s efforts to improve healthcare delivery and his participation in a National Health Summit of the Nigerian Medical Association.

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central), who described the deceased as her in-law, said he was a compassionate and gentle man who offered thoughtful counsel to members of his family.

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

In his remarks, the Senate President Godswill Akpabio,  highlighted Uduaghan’s contributions to the Braced Commission and efforts to address militancy in the Niger Delta.