Entertainers of Delta State origin Wednesday night in Asaba held a “Thank You Concert/Dinner” in honour of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan.
The event which brought the crème de la crème in the industry like Opa Williams, Orits Wiliki, Ras Kimono, Daddy Showkey, Ali Baba, Sammie Okposo, Emma Ogosi, AY, Gordons. Iyanya, Fred Amata, Zeb Ejiro, Emma Grey, DJ Humility, Mandy and Omoni Oboli together, was capped with the presentation of a lifetime award of excellence to the governor.
Speaking at the occasion, Uduaghan disclosed that human resource, not oil, was the greatest asset of the country.
He explained that Delta has keyed into the development of this resource which explains why Deltans can be found in all spheres of human endeavours whether politics, banking, sports, media or the entertainment industry.
“Our biggest resource is not oil but the human being. In every field in Nigeria, Deltans are there, in banking, media, politics, or entertainment industry,” he said.
Governor Uduaghan explained that one of the gains of his administration’s Delta Beyond Oil initiative was making the state, especially Asaba, an entertainment hub stating that “Delta State has the talents, the people and the enabling environment to achieve our dream for the entertainment industry. All we have tried to do is to develop the talents. It is not surprising that most of the artistes especially comedians are from Warri or grew up there.”
He charged Nigerians to always show appreciation for every support received, saying “nothing is as gratifying as showing appreciation for the support one has received. This act of appreciation by the members of the entertainment industry is so gladdening; I never expected something so big as this gathering.
“I want to let you know that I am also appreciative of the little time we spent together over lunch or breakfast in my house, when I am with you. You make me laugh, you entertain me, it helped to reduce the stress of the work.”
While accepting that more needed to be done for the growth of the industry in Delta, Governor Uduaghan disclosed that the state government would explore the possibility of holding a carnival and boat regatta in the nearest future.
Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Richard Mofe Damijo, in his welcome address said that the idea for the concert was mooted by Ogus Baba to honour Dr Uduaghan who has done a lot to support the industry in the last eight years, adding: “We are here to honour a man that has a vision to transform Delta beyond oil. This is one of the gains; entertainment now account for over 2.5 percent of the nation’s GDP.”
Ali Baba, Zeb Ejiro, Opa Williams, I Go Save, and AY, among others, in their goodwill messages, commended Uduaghan for his massive support for the entertainment industry which has taken a lot of our youths off the streets and improved their talents.
Organiser of the concert, Ogus Baba, stated that it was a private initiative meant to show deep appreciation to Uduaghan for his massive contributions to the development of the entertainment industry in the country.
