…Hails eight-year administration’s impact on civil service, infrastructure

 

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Delta State Council, has called on Deltans and Nigerians to celebrate former Delta State Governor, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, on the occasion of his 68th birthday, describing his eight-year administration as a significant chapter in the political and developmental history of the state.

The Council, in a statement signed by its Chairman, Comrade Churchill Oyowe, and Assistant Secretary, Comrade Josephine Omodior, said Ibori’s contributions to Delta State should be examined beyond political disagreements, urging society to adopt an objective approach in assessing his legacy.

The NUJ particularly highlighted the former governor’s impact on the state’s public service, recalling that thousands of young men and women were recruited into the Delta State Civil Service during his administration between 1999 and 2007.

According to the journalists’ body, the recruitment exercises, particularly those conducted between 2000 and 2001, opened up significant employment opportunities for young Deltans at a time when public-sector employment remained an important avenue for economic stability and professional advancement.

The Council further noted that subsequent recruitment exercises in 2002 and 2006 expanded the state’s workforce, strengthening its human-resource base and providing many beneficiaries with stable sources of livelihood.

The NUJ said the employment opportunities created during the period had effects beyond the immediate beneficiaries, as many of those recruited were able to establish professional careers, support their families and make long-term investments.

It noted that the improved economic confidence enjoyed by many civil servants during the period enabled workers to acquire plots of land, build houses, purchase vehicles and provide quality education for their children.

The Council described the emergence of today’s senior public servants from among those recruited during the early 2000s as one of the enduring legacies of the Ibori administration.

It observed that many of the beneficiaries had accumulated more than two decades of professional experience and had risen through the ranks to occupy senior positions within the Delta State Public Service.

Beyond employment, the NUJ also credited the Ibori administration with significant investments in infrastructure, particularly the construction and rehabilitation of roads and bridges across the state.

According to the Council, the infrastructure projects helped link communities, improve transportation and create an environment that supported commercial activities and economic interaction among communities.

The journalists’ body also acknowledged the attention given to the education and healthcare sectors during the Ibori years, noting that some of the programmes and initiatives introduced during the period were subsequently expanded, modified or built upon by successive administrations.

The Council further recalled that Ibori was regarded by many of his contemporaries as a governor who gave members of his cabinet, advisers and other political appointees considerable latitude to discharge their responsibilities.

The NUJ said such an approach encouraged initiative, responsibility and ownership of assignments among officials, while also providing opportunities for professional development within the public administration.

The Council said the long-term careers of many former government recruits and officials provided evidence of the human-capital dimension of the administration’s legacy.

It stressed that acknowledging the former governor’s positive contributions to Delta State did not amount to a denial or dismissal of the controversies that have surrounded his political career.

Rather, the NUJ said, its position represented an attempt to ensure that historical assessments were not dictated solely by political disagreements or partisanship.

The Council urged Deltans and the wider public to examine the former governor’s record comprehensively by recognising achievements while also objectively considering shortcomings and controversies associated with his years in public office.

The NUJ’s position comes as Ibori, one of the most influential figures in Delta State’s political history, marks his 68th birthday.

The Council congratulated the former governor on the milestone and wished him good health, peace and fulfilment.
It also called on society to cultivate a culture of balanced historical assessment, stressing that political differences should not prevent the recognition of policies and programmes that positively affected the lives of citizens.

The NUJ maintained that the legacy of any administration should ultimately be assessed by examining its impact on the people, institutions and development trajectory of the society it governed.

For the Council, the expansion of the Delta State Public Service, the career progression of thousands of workers recruited during the period, infrastructure development and interventions in education and healthcare remain important aspects of the Ibori years that deserve to be documented and discussed alongside the controversies surrounding his public career.

The journalists’ body therefore urged the public to approach the former governor’s legacy with historical perspective, acknowledging achievements, scrutinising shortcomings and avoiding what it described as unnecessary partisanship.