The five-year stewardship of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan as Governor of Delta State, South-South Nigeria, came under focus yesterday in Lagos as Isokos held a rare town hall meeting in the country’s former capital.

Organised by the Isoko Advancement Network (IAN), the event attracted a large crowd of Isokos, including political, business and entertainment heavyweights of Isoko extraction.

The meeting, which had Comrade Ovuozourie Macaulay, Secretary to the Delta State Government (SSG), as Special Guest of Honour, provided an opportunity for the SSG to brief Isokos on the activities and plans of the state government and to know the people’s expectations of the government.

After the opening remarks by the chairman of the occasion, High Chief Sereant Uredi, the floor was thrown open for questions and comments. Some asked for roads for their local communities, others for other projects or for economic empowerment.

Responding, Comrade Macaulay, himself a prominent Isoko son, highlighted the achievements of the Uduaghan administration and its determination to leave Delta far better than it met it. Talking specifically of Isoko land, Macaulay assured that “there is no part of Isoko land that will not be touched before 2015” when the Uduaghan administration is scheduled to leave office. He disclosed that similar town hall meetings have been billed to take place in Port Harcourt and Abuja to enable more Isokos make an input into the operations of the Uduaghan administration.

Earlier in his opening address, IAN National Chairman, Hon. Mike Ogwah, explained that the meeting was meant “to build a stronger Isoko nation and maintain an enviable position in the state and national affairs within the context of unity and a sense of common purpose.”

In his remarks, High Chief Uresi stressed the need for Isokos to live harmoniously with other ethnic groups in Delta State and Nigeria, and to pool their resources together to develop Isoko land.

It was however not just a day of talk but also one of merriment, with two Isoko-born international music stars, Daddy Showkey and Sammie Okposo, entertaining to the delight of the full capacity crowd at the Regency Hall Ikeja venue of the meeting.

•Photo: Governor Uduaghan.