I have no problem with Uduaghan —Okowa

ASABA—DELTA State governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, yesterday, said that he had no axe to grind with his predecessor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan.

He also said that the Anioma ethnic nationality was never a part of the South-East region and does not subscribe to the renewed agitation by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.

Okowa, at an interactive session with newsmen, said: “Reconciliation between Okowa and Uduaghan, this is very funny. In the first instance, I don’t have any problem with former Governor Uduaghan. Uduaghan is my friend, he has been my friend. We have been in this state together since 1998 before we came into government in 1999 and you people know it. We have been friends and we will remain friends. We may have had our differences before the primaries but after the primaries, you saw us work together in the election and we have remained so.                                                                      

Uduaghan

“He calls me regularly, he offers me advice. Even on Tuesday, he called and we talked. So, there is no question of a difference between us that would warrant anybody going to London to meet former Governor Ibori to reconcile us.


“You see, these are some of the terrible rumours that are being peddled all around. That is why I have always appealed that there was need to cross check whatever is going on. You are aware that he visited me at the lodge.

“When he came, it was to offer advice. His wife had visited me twice at the Government House. So we have had no issue, not to talk of somebody setting out to reconcile us. That is the real truth.”

On the issue of Anioma being part of Biafran territory, the governor said: “Biafra agitation, we have criticized it.  Aniomaland as it is said, from here, was part of Bendel State, it was part of the Midwest Region.

“We were never part of the South East and obviously we cannot be said to be part of them. We may speak the same language but we were never part of the South East. We were part of the old Midwest, we were part of Bendel, we are now Delta State and we are Deltans.”

On the Asaba International Airport, Okowa expressed the hope that the airport would soon come back on stream, adding that the 3.4km runway was being reconstructed to accommodate all sizes of aircraft.

Speaking on the move by the Federal Government to cancel the Maritime University, Gbaramatu, Okowa said that such move would cause a lot of setback and noted that the country needed more maritime universities to develop the maritime industry.