Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege has said that story of Delta State would not be complete without Chief James Ibori, the first civilian governor of the State.
According to the Obarisi of Urhoboland, Ibori has carved a niche for himself as a political leader.
Agege said this in commemoration of the 64th birth anniversary of the former governor via a statement signed by the Director, Communications and Media Strategy of the Delta APC gubernatorial campaign organisation, Ima Niboro.
Senator Omo-Agege described Chief Ibori as a leader who believes in building bridges rather than burning them.
The senator extolled the past and present leadership roles of the ex-governor, recalling his invaluable contribution to the struggle for resource control and the attainment of 13 percent derivation for oil producing areas in Nigeria.
He noted that Ibori will remain a reference point in state and national politics because of his depth of knowledge and understanding of both Delta state and Nigeria.
“His agitation along with other great Niger Delta leaders and patriots paved way for the 13 per cent derivation from proceeds of oil and gas that some are frittering away today in Delta.
“Regardless, Chief Ibori remains a bridge builder and father to all irrespective of our political parties at the moment. His tenure as governor paved the way for positive developments in our state which endure till today.
“He fostered peace in our multilingual state, built bridges across board. As the second civilian governor of our dear state from 1999 to 2007, he weathered several storms and laid a foundation for his successors to build on,” he said.
Leave a comment