‎Ebenezer Adurokiya, Reporting‎

‎WHEN Delta State’s Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, stood before a packed Dome Event Centre on Friday, he did not list new roads or hospitals first. Instead, he raised his hands in thanks – to God, and to what he called the most improbable achievement of his administration: three years of development without borrowing a single kobo.
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‎Speaking at the 2026 Delta State Thanksgiving and Praise Day, which doubled as the third anniversary of his tenure, Oborevwori credited the state’s progress entirely to divine intervention. ‘Today, we are celebrating three years of this administration.
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Indeed, this is the Lord’s doing and it is marvellous in our sight,’ he told a congregation of political leaders, traditional rulers, clerics and thousands of Deltans.
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‎The governor, who took office on 29 May 2023, described the past three years as ‘eventful, exciting and enlightening’. Yet behind the rhetoric of celebration lay a pointed fiscal claim: that his government had executed major infrastructure projects and people‑focused programmes without taking a loan from any bank or private lender.

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‎‘Every contract that we give out, the money is available,’ Oborevwori said. ‘We have constantly discharged our obligations to our contractors.’
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In an era when many state governments struggle with mounting debt service, Delta has, according to the governor, charted a path of prudent management – a message clearly designed to resonate far beyond the church‑filled hall.
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‎The Thanksgiving event, an annual fixture in Delta’s civic calendar, drew a who’s who of the state’s political establishment. Former governors James Ibori, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan and Senator Ifeanyi Okowa were all acknowledged from the podium, their foundations praised as the bedrock upon which Oborevwori is building.
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Also present were the Deputy Governor, Sir Monday Onyeme, Speaker Emomotimi Guwor of the Delta State House of Assembly, and a dozen members of the National Assembly.
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‎But the spiritual centrepiece belonged to Apostle Joshua Selman, the renowned cleric who delivered a sermon titled ‘Ever Increasing Progress’.
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He warned that lasting progress is impossible without acknowledging God, and offered seven biblical keys: abiding in Christ, avoiding distractions, pursuing greater knowledge, courage, humility, building strategic relationships, and a lifestyle of thanksgiving.
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He also commended the governor’s commitment to project delivery, urging leaders to ignore critics and remain focused on their vision.
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‎The governor was careful to share the credit. He thanked security agencies for maintaining peace – ‘the foundation for development and investment’ – and noted that Delta, already one of Nigeria’s top oil‑producing states, was attracting more investors because of its stable environment.

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He also praised his deputy, the assembly, civil servants and community leaders, before issuing a gentle plea for unity.
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‎‘Delta State is our home. We don’t have any other state,’ Oborevwori said. ‘What is important is how we come together to build this state. With unity, Delta will continue to move forward and become an envy of other states.’
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‎The three‑hour service mixed scripture and song. Deputy Governor Onyeme read the Bible passage, while gospel artists Dunsin Oyekan, Moses Bliss, Asu Ekiye and others led the crowd in praise.
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The ceremonial cutting of a large third‑anniversary cake brought the political and the pastoral together – a sweet symbol of an administration asking Deltans to trust both its faith and its finances.

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‎As the governor enters the final phase of his first term, his message is clear: no borrowing, much grace, and a God who – in his words – ‘found me worthy to serve’. For now, in the Dome Event Centre at least, the congregation seemed to believe it.
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