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From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja
The Senate has paid tribute to former Delta State governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, recalling his contributions to the Niger Delta peace process, regional economic cooperation, healthcare delivery and infrastructure development.
Lawmakers particularly highlighted his role in efforts by South-South governors to address militancy in the oil-producing region and support the amnesty initiative introduced during the administration of former President Umaru Yar’Adua.
The tributes followed a motion sponsored by Joel-Onowakpo Thomas and co-sponsored by Ned Nwoko, Ede Dafinone and Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan during Wednesday’s plenary, following Uduaghan’s death on October 19, 2026.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio recalled Uduaghan’s contributions to the BRACED Commission, a regional development initiative involving Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo and Delta states.
Akpabio said Uduaghan worked with other governors to promote cooperation among the six states and address the insecurity that had threatened oil production and economic activities in the Niger Delta.
He also recalled their engagement with the Yar’Adua administration over the amnesty programme, which helped restore relative peace to the region.
Moving the motion, Thomas described the former governor as a distinguished medical practitioner, statesman and public servant whose eight years in office left a lasting imprint on Delta State.
He said Uduaghan’s professional background as a medical doctor influenced his administration’s healthcare policies, particularly programmes providing free medical services to pregnant women, nursing mothers and children under five.
The senator also cited investments in the Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara, as well as efforts to rehabilitate public schools and expand access to education through the Edu-My-Child programme, scholarships and assistance with public examinations.
On infrastructure, Thomas highlighted road construction, transportation projects and the development of Asaba International Airport.
He said the former governor’s Delta Beyond Oil initiative was designed to reduce the state’s dependence on crude oil revenues by encouraging agriculture, tourism and small and medium-scale enterprises.
Contributing to the debate, Dafinone said Uduaghan’s record should be measured by the number of people who benefited from his years in public service.
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“Public service is marked by the number of lives touched in service, and there is no doubt that in his eight years as governor, his position as Secretary to the State Government and Commissioner for Health, our late governor touched very many lives,” he said.
Former Edo State governor and senator Adams Oshiomhole drew attention to Uduaghan’s contributions to regional economic integration through the BRACED Commission.
He said the initiative was conceived to move the six South-South states beyond periodic meetings and establish a coordinated development framework capable of harnessing the region’s natural resources and human capital.
According to Oshiomhole, Uduaghan provided logistical support for the establishment of a secretariat to drive the commission’s activities.
He said the former governor’s commitment to Delta State transcended ethnic considerations.
“Emmanuel Uduaghan was not lost in the Itsekiri people. He may have been born as an Itsekiri man by accident of birth, but actually, he was a proud son of Delta, and he deployed all he had to upgrade the living standard of Delta,” Oshiomhole said.
Nwoko recalled discussions with Uduaghan about the development of Asaba International Airport during his tenure in the House of Representatives between 1999 and 2003.
He said the proposal initially encountered resistance from the administration of former governor James Ibori, which argued that Delta already had an airport at Osubi, near Warri.
Francis Faduyile, representing Ondo South, described Uduaghan as a role model whose medical background informed his commitment to healthcare delivery.
Faduyile recalled the former governor’s interventions in the health sector and his participation in a National Health Summit organised by the Nigerian Medical Association.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, who described the deceased as her in-law, praised his compassion and support for members of his family.
“He is a father figure to many, and to me, he goes beyond being an in-law,” she said.
At the end of deliberations, the Senate observed a minute’s silence in Uduaghan’s honour and extended its condolences to his family and the people of Delta State.
