By PAULINA NZERUBE & TOSAN OYAKHILOME-AKAHOMEN & AMAKA OHAFIAH

Delta, Edo & Anambra Mark 35 Years With New Development Agendas

Three States, One Historic Milestone

DELTA, Edo and Anambra States have marked 35 years since their creation with their governors using the anniversary to reflect on past achievements and outline fresh priorities for development.

Created in 1991, the three states have followed different political and economic paths over the past three and a half decades. However, their 35th anniversary celebrations have also provided an opportunity for their leaders to confront contemporary challenges and restate their visions for the future.

In Delta, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori focused on sustainable growth and prosperity. In Edo, Governor Monday Okpebholo highlighted his administration’s efforts to convert the state’s resources into tangible development. In Anambra, Governor Chukwuma Soludo used the anniversary to sound an alarm over what he described as an environmental crisis threatening the state’s future.

Together, the three anniversary messages reflected the changing priorities of Nigerian state governments as they confront demands for infrastructure, security, economic growth, public services and environmental protection.

Oborevwori Salutes Delta’s Journey

Governor Oborevwori described Delta’s 35th anniversary as an important milestone in the history of the state.

In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Sir Festus Ahon, the governor said the state’s journey since its creation had been shaped by resilience, unity and the collective contributions of its people.

He assured Deltans that the state had entered what he described as a new era of sustainable growth, development and prosperity.

Oborevwori also recognised the contributions of former leaders, traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil servants, private-sector players and ordinary citizens to the growth of the state over the years.

The governor’s message placed the anniversary within a broader narrative of continuity, acknowledging that Delta’s development had been driven by successive administrations and different sections of society.

For a state with diverse ethnic nationalities and significant oil and gas resources, the challenge remains how to translate its economic potential into broader and sustainable development.

Oborevwori’s anniversary message therefore carried both a celebration of the past and an assurance that his administration would continue to pursue policies aimed at strengthening the state’s future.

Edo Looks to Turn Assets Into Development

In Edo State, Governor Okpebholo described the 35th anniversary as a celebration of unity, resilience and shared progress.

However, he also used the occasion to restate his administration’s commitment to translating the state’s abundant assets into measurable improvements in the lives of residents.

The governor said his administration would continue to pursue development through the SHINE Agenda.

He also acknowledged the roles played by previous administrations, traditional institutions, private-sector operators and other stakeholders in shaping the state’s development since its creation.

Among the areas highlighted by the governor were security, healthcare and education.

Okpebholo said his administration had strengthened collaboration with security agencies to tackle criminal activities across the state.

He also pointed to investments in healthcare facilities and the training of health workers, particularly within the primary healthcare system.

In the education sector, the governor highlighted increased subventions to Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, and Edo State University, Uzairue.

The focus on these sectors reflects the central development challenge confronting many states: how to convert public resources and government policies into services that directly improve everyday life.

Soludo Declares Environmental Emergency

While Delta and Edo focused largely on growth and development, Anambra’s anniversary message centred on an urgent environmental challenge.

Governor Soludo declared a state of emergency on the environment, describing environmental degradation as Anambra’s most serious existential threat.

Speaking during a live broadcast at the Light House in Awka, the governor warned that more than 30 per cent of the state’s landmass had been affected by erosion.

He said the scale of the crisis was so extensive that even dedicating the state’s entire budget to ecological remediation would not provide enough resources to address the problem.

The governor described Anambra as the gully erosion capital of Africa and warned that decades of environmental damage had placed communities, homes, roads and agricultural land at risk.

Nanka, Oko, Amaokpala, Ozubulu, Ogidi, Nkpor, parts of Onitsha and Nnewi were among communities identified as severely affected.

Human Activities Deepen Environmental Crisis

Soludo acknowledged that Anambra’s soil structure had contributed to its vulnerability to erosion.

However, he argued that human activities had dramatically accelerated environmental degradation over several decades.

According to him, available evidence showed that the environmental crisis had developed over approximately 60 years.

He said human activities accounted for a substantial proportion of the degradation confronting the state.

The governor therefore called for collective responsibility as his administration launched a renewed clean and green initiative.

The programme aims to promote a cleaner, better planned and more sustainable environment.

His message suggested that government intervention alone would not be enough to reverse the crisis without changes in how individuals and communities manage waste, drainage, construction and other activities affecting the environment.

Thirty-Five Years & the Next Challenge

The simultaneous anniversary of Delta, Edo and Anambra provides an opportunity to examine the broader evolution of Nigeria’s states since the 1991 restructuring.

Thirty-five years after their creation, the three states face different immediate challenges but share a common responsibility: converting political promises and natural or human resources into sustainable improvements in the lives of citizens.

Delta is looking towards economic growth and broader prosperity.

Edo is emphasising the translation of its assets into development through security, education and healthcare.

Anambra, meanwhile, is confronting an environmental emergency that threatens communities and economic infrastructure.

The anniversary celebrations therefore extend beyond ceremonial speeches.

They raise important questions about the next phase of development in the three states and the capacity of governments, communities and institutions to respond to increasingly complex social, economic and environmental pressures.

At 35, Delta, Edo and Anambra are not merely reflecting on where they began. Their leaders are also confronting the far more difficult question of where the states must go next.