By Henry Ofa
I wish to heartily congratulate you, our national leader and former Governor, His Excellency, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, on the auspicious occasion of your 62nd birthday anniversary.
You have proven times and again that you’re a dependable and trustworthy leader whose large heart remains unequalled, and the vicissitude of the past years have further established how invaluable you are in the politics and leadership of Delta State, the Niger Delta region and Nigeria as a whole.
From being an astute businessman, you rose to the top of Delta politics and emerged its incontrovertible Governor from 1999 to 2007.
Within those eight years, you wrought many wonders that were thought impossible, remodeled Delta State and set it on the path of sustainable prosperity.
You believed in the collective strength of the people, hence never took power from them.
As a Governor, you showed that politics was not all that dirty, but had gain, and that democracy comes with positive dividends for the masses.
Men still relish your rare leadership excellence, women yet savour your political dexterity, and the youth joyfully learning the wonderful lesson of how you turned Delta State to a construction site and initiated the simultaneous development of multiple cities across the three senatorial districts of the state.
Asaba, Warri, Agbor, Ughelli, Sapele, Oghara, Abraka- all attest to your visionary leadership, just as the hitherto dark communities you connected to the national power grid and opened up for social and economic advancement will never stop singing your praises.
You will be eternally remembered for the Omadino and Ase bridges as well as the imposing navigational bridge over River Raymos in Bomadi; all laid out in marshy terrains hitherto thought impossible to develop.
Your immortality is also explicitly sealed in the establishment of the state owned polytechnics at Oghara, Ogwashi-Uku and Ozoro and the world class Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara.
Outside your governorship office, you have remained a source of inspiration to us, your people, and a rallying point for national politics.
Your peaceful initiatives across the Niger Delta region have cemented broken walls and healed the wounds of mutual distrust that once infested it.
You have consistently preached oneness and engendered love and harmony among Deltans and Nigerians, and have demonstrated your unwavering support for good governance and played active roles in the quest for delivering democratic dividends to the masses, prompting the Former Governors’ Forum to bestow on you a rare yet much deserved honour of being its Patron.
As you mark your 62nd birthday anniversary, I pray that the Almighty God will continually bless you with long life, good health and prosperity in all aspects of your life.
May you continue to increase in wisdom and understanding to sustain the good works you began many years ago.
Congratulations and happy birthday, Your Excellency.
CHIEF HENRY O. OFA, PhD, JP
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