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Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, has declared that President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 remains his “number one political project,” insisting that the President’s economic reforms are yielding tangible benefits for Delta State and other subnational governments.

Oborevwori, who spoke in an interview on ARISE News monitored on Tuesday, said the improved revenue allocation under the Tinubu administration had enabled Delta to execute projects without financial strain, adding that contractors are now being paid promptly as a result of increased federal inflows.

“I’m begging people to vote for President Bola Tinubu. It’s my number one project.

That project is bigger than any other project because it will help us achieve more for our people,” the governor said.

According to him, for the first time in the state’s history, Delta is not indebted to contractors, stressing that project financing is now done seamlessly without waiting for monthly federal allocations.

Oborevwori attributed the development to the Federal Government’s ongoing economic reforms, arguing that increased revenues accruing to states are evidence that the policies are working.

“If the reforms are not working, will we get this money? More money is coming to the states. The reforms are working very well in Delta State, and that is why we are able to execute projects and meet our obligations,” he said.

The governor also expressed confidence that the All Progressives Congress would record strong support in Delta State in 2027, following what he described as broad consultations that led to the mass defection of political stakeholders from the Peoples Democratic Party to the ruling party.

He described the movement as a “political tsunami,” saying it involved party leaders, elected officials, stakeholders, religious leaders and other groups across the state.

“We all agreed that we should move. That was why the movement was a tsunami. We moved en masse into the APC, and nobody was left behind,” he said.

Oborevwori further said opposition parties had little chance of making electoral gains in Delta, insisting that ongoing projects across the state would secure voter confidence for the APC.

“There are too many projects that we have done, and we are still doing. If I start commissioning projects every week, I may not finish before the election. The people can see what we are doing, and they know the difference,” he said.

On the political landscape ahead of 2027, the governor dismissed concerns over the resignation of former Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, from the APC, saying the development did not pose any threat to the party in Delta State.

He said indications of Omo-Agege’s exit had been evident for months, noting that many of his political associates had already left the party long before his resignation.

“We saw it coming. Before he left, most of his people had already left over three months ago, so we were all aware,” Oborevwori said.

The governor also dismissed suggestions that Omo-Agege’s departure would weaken the APC in Delta Central Senatorial District, insisting that the party remained strong and united behind Senator Ede Dafinone.

“He is not a threat because I have won it before,” he said, adding that Dafinone remains a respected figure with deep roots in Urhoboland.

Oborevwori maintained that the APC primary election that produced Dafinone was transparent and fair, urging aggrieved aspirants to accept the outcome.

“Somebody was given the opportunity, we conducted a free and fair primary, and he lost. It is for him to embrace the outcome because the process was transparent,” he said.

The governor expressed optimism that President Tinubu enjoys strong support in Delta State, citing political alignment, development projects and personal ties as factors that would favour the President’s re-election bid.

He added that consultations across the state showed broad acceptance of the APC and confidence in the administration’s economic direction.

Oborevwori also claimed that Tinubu shares strong familial and political ties with different ethnic groups in Delta State, which he said would further boost his chances in 2027.

“The people of Delta State believe in President Bola Tinubu. They believe in him because, among all the candidates that may emerge, he is the only one with a strong affiliation to Delta State,” he said.

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The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has implored state governments to accelerate business-enabling reforms to unlock the full potential of the $750 million World Bank-assisted State Action on Business Enabling Reforms (SABER) programme.

This, he said, has become necessary to attract domestic and global capital, enhance local infrastructure, and drive subnational economic growth.

Shettima, who spoke on Tuesday during a stakeholder meeting on optimising the implementation of the SABER programme at the Presidential Villa, noted that a fully implemented SABER programme would help create a more predictable and transparent business environment.

He also listed other benefits of the programme to include attracting domestic and foreign investment, strengthening private-sector confidence, reducing the cost of doing business, expanding digital and physical infrastructure, improving access to land and commercial justice systems, and enhancing the competitiveness of the states.

“These outcomes will translate into increased economic activity, higher productivity, job creation, improved internally generated revenue, and better living standards for our citizens,” he stated.

Accordingly, the Vice President directed the Director General of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), Zarah Mustapha-Audu, to initiate moves towards extending the lifespan of the programme by an additional year “so that our states can fully utilise the opportunities at our doorsteps.”

Shettima noted that Nigeria stood a better chance of facilitating the actualisation of its one trillion-dollar economy drive by fully optimising SABER implementation.

“I therefore encourage us to engage constructively and contribute meaningfully to our deliberations. Let us seize this opportunity to unlock the full potential of the SABER Programme and position our States as engines of economic growth, investment, and sustainable development,” he stated.

Shettima tied the success of the ongoing reforms of the administration of President Bola Tinubu to a conducive and enabling environment for businesses to thrive, maintaining that this could be determined at the subnational level.

“As a nation, we have embarked on a bold economic reform agenda under the leadership of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. The success of this agenda depends significantly on our ability to create an enabling environment for businesses to invest, expand, and create jobs.

“While the Federal Government continues to implement reforms at the national level, the reality remains that many of the conditions that define the experience of investors and businesses are determined at the subnational level. This is why the role of State Governments in the implementation of SABER is critical.”

Minister of State for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, encouraged stakeholders to address identified implementation bottlenecks as the SABER programme delivers its intended outcomes for Nigeria in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.

She expressed optimism that the $750 million performance-based intervention designed by the World Bank technical team and the PEBEC Secretariat would be fully accessed by the states.

Giving an overview of the SABER Programme and implementation matters, the Director-General of PEBEC, Zarah Mustapha-Audu, assured that the council remained committed to removing bureaucratic bottlenecks by working with all arms of government, civil society organisations (CSOs), the private sector, and other stakeholders towards achieving the programme’s objectives.

She explained that while the funds were tied to deliverables, progress was being made by participating states to meet all disbursement-linked indicators as stipulated by the programme.

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The Osun State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest in Osogbo over the abduction of teachers and students in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The Osun NUT called for urgent measures to improve security in schools across the country.

The teachers marched through major streets carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Government Should Act Now”, “Free Our Teachers and Students Now” and “Our Teachers and Students Must Be Free Now”, while condemning the incident and demanding the safe return of the victims.

The demonstration drew participation from teachers across the state, who expressed concern over what they described as growing threats to educational institutions and the safety of both staff and learners.

Addressing the protesters, Osun NUT Chairman, Isaac Babalola, described the abduction as unfortunate and warned that such attacks posed a serious threat to education and the welfare of teachers and students nationwide.

He said, “Schools must remain safe environments for teaching and learning. Continued attacks on educational institutions could discourage parents from sending their children to school.”

Babalola urged security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue the abducted teachers and students and ensure that those responsible for the attack were brought to justice.

According to him, “The recurring cases of attacks on schools in different parts of the country require urgent and coordinated action from relevant authorities.

“The safety of teachers and students must be treated as a priority. No child should be afraid of going to school and no teacher should work under fear of abduction or violence.”

He further called on both the Federal and State Governments to strengthen security infrastructure in schools through the deployment of security personnel and the installation of surveillance facilities where necessary.

The union leader also stressed the need for stronger collaboration among security agencies, school authorities and host communities to safeguard educational institutions from future attacks.

Some of the protesting teachers expressed concern over recurring security challenges facing schools and urged governments at all levels to adopt proactive measures to prevent similar incidents.

They appealed to education stakeholders and relevant authorities to act swiftly to protect teachers and students, warning that failure to address the situation could further endanger learning environments across the country.

Responding to the demands of the protesters, Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, commended the union for raising concerns over the kidnapping of teachers and students in Oriire local government area.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Muritala Jimoh, the governor said “efforts were ongoing by both the Oyo State Government and the Federal Government to secure the release of all the abducted victims”.

Adeleke assured teachers and students of their safety and disclosed that a high-level security meeting was being planned to strengthen the protection of lives, property and educational infrastructure.

He also called for the collective efforts of stakeholders across the country to ensure safer schools.