Gov Okowa receive knocks for naming uncompleted building after Felix Ibru

…I am not surprised that a caricature structure is name after Ibru- Omene

…It is an affront on the Urhobo people and Deltans– Omo-Agege

…Okowa is a very tribalistic governor- Gbemre

 

By Onitsha Shedrack——

 

As controversies continues to trial the poor handling of the burial of late Olorogun Felix Ibru, the first executive governor of Delta State, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has been receiving knocks from Deltans over the naming of uncompleted senate building of the Delta University Abraka after the former governor.

Prominent Urhobos have described as absurd at the choice of the Delta state Secretariat and uncompleted senate building of the Delta University Abraka that was named after Ibru to immortalize the first executive governor of the state.

…I am not surprised that a caricature structure is name after Ibru- Omene

 

Speaking to journalists at Agbarha-Otor over poor handling of the Ibru’s burial and the exclusion of the Urhobos, the President General of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) Chief Joe Omene stated that it is sad that the Ibru family allowed the former UPU President General to the demined in death.

According to him; “the late Senator Ibru was a very great man when he was alive, but the family demined him in death, Ibru by all standards should even be greater in death, but from what we saw today it is very sad, was Gen. Aziza’s burial like this?

“If the Ibru family thinks that their son has been buried when the service was held at Asaba without the Urhobo nation representation, good for them, but all we know is that the former PG has not been buried, because the Urhobos has traditions, your kinsmen and your people must bury you and not strangers.

“Where you have dance groups coming all the ways from Yoruba’s for the burial of a former PG of the Urhobo nation, you know that something is amiss. Are the organizers of this burial telling us that we don’t have musicians here, or what are they trying to prove?

On the naming of the uncompleted Senate building after late Ibru, the PG has this to say: “What do you expect? If you don’t fight your fight, nobody will fight it for you.

“If an Urhobo man were to be the governor of the state, certainly things would have been done differently. I am not surprised that a caricature structure that is yet to be completed is named after the first executive governor of Delta state. Am not surprised at all, what do you expect from Okowa?”

It is an affront on the Urhobo people and Deltans– Omo-Agege

In a related development the Senator Ovie Omo-Agege; the Senator representing Delta Central Senatorial District in a radio programme urged Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to rename the Delta State University as Felix Ibru University in the memory of the late first Executive Governor of the State and founder of the University.

Omo-Agege noted that, “it is an affront on the Urhobo people and Deltans in general that Olorogun Felix Ibru; The First civilian Governor of Delta State, A former senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and also, President General of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) to be so “glorified and immortalized” by naming an uncompleted Senate building in Delta state university, after this pan Deltan when he actually deserves the University, named after him.

He therefore, urged the Delta state government to retrace and correct this historical somersault by naming the University, Felix Ibru University as it is obtainable in the case of Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma, Edo state.

Okowa is a very tribalistic governor- Gbemre

On his part a Niger Delta activist and the National Coordinator of Niger Delta Peace Coalition (NDPC) Zik Gbemre noted that for failing to name the Delta State University Abraka in honour of the former governor of the state, shows that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa is a very ‘tribalistic governor’, who is not interested in doing anything that would uplift the outlook of other tribes in Delta State other than his own people. And this is rather unfortunate.

“According to him, “despite our advice that the Delta State Government should immortalize late Olorogun (Senator) Felix Ovuodoroye Ibru, CON, whose funeral rites started on Wednesday, July 27, 2016 and to end on Sunday, August 7, 2016, by naming the Delta State University after him, it is appalling to note that all that the Delta State Government could do was to have the Delta State Secretariat Complex in Asaba, and the Senate building of the Delta State University, Abraka, named after Felix Ibru.

“Why name just a building in the Delta State University after Felix Ibru instead of naming the whole institution after him? For someone who had established the said University, and was also the first elected Executive Governor of Delta State, Olorogun (Senator) Felix Ovuodoroye Ibru deserves nothing less than having his name and legacy immortalised by naming the ‘entire’ Delta State University after him.

“If the Delta State Government can name just a building in the State University after Felix Ibru, why not name the whole school after him, especially when we consider the fact that he was the one that founded the said University in the first place.

“It simply does not make sense. What does it take for the Delta State Government to do this? Practically nothing! Others like late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello, etc, have higher Institutions they founded named after them to properly immortalize their names and legacies.