The Regent-elect of Umeh Kingdom in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State, HRH Meshack Rockson Owhe, has declared Friday, October 23, a day of mourning in honour of the late former Governor of Delta State, Dr Emmanuel Ewetan Uduaghan.
Owhe, who announced the decision in a condolence tribute on behalf of the people of Umeh, said the community would suspend trading, farming and all ceremonies from dawn to dusk in recognition of Uduaghan’s contributions to its development.
He described the late former governor, who died on October 19 at the age of 71, as a patriot, distinguished Deltan and one of the most illustrious sons of the Itsekiri nation, whose legacy of service would remain indelible in Delta State and beyond.
The traditional ruler-elect recalled Uduaghan’s special relationship with Umeh, noting that the former governor’s visit to the community on August 24, 2011, following the Umeh Need Road Facebook advocacy, marked a turning point in its history.
According to him, Umeh was then a largely undeveloped agrarian community that had remained without a road despite years of appeals to successive governments, dating back to the former Bendel State.
He said Uduaghan’s decision to embark on the construction of the Umeh Road ended decades of frustration and opened a new chapter in the community’s development.
“Uduaghan came, saw and became our prince in shining armour,” Owhe said, recalling that the road was completed in 2015 and commissioned on February 14 of that year.
He described the project as a dream come true for the people, who had long yearned for a motorable road to connect their community with other parts of Isoko land.
Owhe disclosed that during the commissioning of the road, his father and immediate past king of Umeh Kingdom, HRM Ambrose Odiri Owhe, adopted Uduaghan as a son of the community and conferred on him the traditional title of Ovie-Elo of Umeh Kingdom.
He said Uduaghan’s contributions to Umeh went beyond road construction, adding that the former governor also facilitated the upgrading and rehabilitation of a primary school in the community.
The late governor, he added, further demonstrated his commitment to the traditional institution by appointing the late monarch, Ambrose Odiri Owhe, to the Delta State Council of Traditional Rulers, thereby strengthening his role as custodian of the kingdom’s culture and traditions.
Describing Uduaghan’s death as a painful loss, the regent-elect said the people of Umeh would remain grateful for the development projects and personal relationship the former governor established with the community.
He said the kingdom would also observe the three-day mourning period declared by the Delta State Government from October 19, with flags flown at half-mast, while extending its own mourning observance to Friday.
Owhe noted that Uduaghan’s death marked the end of an era in Delta State, the South-South region and Nigeria, recalling his years of service as a medical doctor, commissioner for health, secretary to the state government and two-term governor of Delta State from 2007 to 2015.
He extended the community’s condolences to Uduaghan’s wife, Roli, his children, grandchildren, siblings and the entire Uduaghan family of Abigborodo.
“May you find solace in the extraordinary legacy of honour and service that our Ovie-Elo bequeathed,” he said.
He signed off the tribute with the words, “Adieu, Asaimagor,” in honour of the late former governor.
