By Nehru Odeh
Former governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, has said criticisms over the claims about his legacies he made recently in an interview on Channels Television programme Hard Copy with Maupe Ogun are the works of mischief makers. The media Assistant to the former governor, Mr. Monoyo Edon, said in a press statement entitled, Much Ado about DR. EMMANUEL Uduaghan’S Alleged Goof on Channels Television Hard Copy Programme, many are making much ado about what the former Governor said in a bid to downplay his achievements.
“Deltans and Nigerians are smart. They cannot be misled by the baleful misrepresentation of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan’s answer to a question on his legacy while in office. One should think, when the word legacy is mentioned, what readily comes to mind would be what one would be remembered for, after leaving a place. The Cambridge Advanced Learners’ Dictionary corroborates this with the meaning of the word “legacy”. It says, “something that is a result of events in the past.” The former Governor responded that his administration reduced the menacing mother and child mortality rate in Delta State through his provision of “Free Maternal and 0-5 Healthcare program”, a program that earned him plaudits and awards from all parts of Nigeria,” Edon said.
The media aide also said as a result of the programme, “the destinies of a lot of young Deltans were preserved, a lot of men prevented from being widowers at an early age. There could not have been a better response to the interviewer’s question than what the medical doctor had pinpointed as one of the most important legacies so dear to his heart. With that program, Dr. Uduaghan lived up to his ambassadorial role of the medical profession, which he is a member. “
“Mischief makers, disappointed that they could not fault the spotless interview, decided to share a portion of the interview on social media, in a botched attempt to denigrate Dr. Uduaghan. Alas, their plot has only resulted in promoting him as a people-policy administrator,” Edon said
The media aide said besides healthcare provision, (an important segment of his Human Capital Development) there were other legacies of his popular Three Point Agenda; the other two been Peace and Security and Infrastructural Development. Edon cited an interview the former governor granted Gbaramatu Voice, a tabloid, on 13 July, 2018, to prove his point.
It would be recalled that many have criticized the former governor of Delta State, after the Interview on Channels Television for not making citing tangible projects as his achievements during the eight years he spent as governor. The Delta State Government on Tuesday, 4 September lashed out at the immediate past governor saying he left no legacy in his eight years as governor.
Briefing newsmen in Asaba, in reaction to the Uduaghan’s claims, the Delta State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Patrick Ukah said Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan’s “dreaming claims of legacy projects will not fly”, adding that it was not “the style of the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s-led government to respond to fallacious claims.”
“But we owe the public the duty to set the record straight particularly when such lies are spilled by a former Governor who this administration has given his dues and respect.” Continuing, Ukah said, “we challenge Dr Uduaghan to tell the world about the said legacy projects he claimed to have left behind which this government has destroyed … It is worthy noting that Uduaghan led administration’s free healthcare program had a budget of about N700 million yearly providing free healthcare in urban cities and secondary health facilities only. No Primary Healthcare Facility, PHC in rural communities where the real people that needs the free healthcare the most, was involved in the program”.
The former governor has also received bashing on social media. Reacting to the Channels Interview. Lawry Godson Agunbiade criticized Uduaghan oh his facebook page. “Did you listen to Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan on channels tv with Maupe Ogun on his recent defection and his legacy while in office. Damn,he has nothing upstairs to say the least … Higher number of delivery is the best legacy he left behind …”
Ethelbert Mbama also lambasted the former governor on his Facebook page. “Oh my my. Listen to channels TV interview Uduaghan. I won’t say more.”
Reacting to Mbama’s post, Steve Obiago said, “All he can say he achieved is helping pregnant women give birth, maybe because he was in front of Maupe Ogun-Yusuf who is presently pregnant. He just looked around and discovered that using that line will impress her , not knowing he was speaking to millions of Nigerians.”
