It was home, sweet home, for President Goodluck Jonathan as a tumultuous crowd of his own brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, friends, in-laws, and other people from within and outside the Niger Delta region received him at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa by 10.27 a.m on Friday May 14, 2010 for a two-day official visit to Rivers State. As he disembarked from his aircraft radiant with happiness, a smile as bright as the sunshine in heaven beamed over his face. And as he waved his two hands acknowledging cheers from the jubilant crowd, the entire airport became more animated with singing and dancing.

As early as 8.00 a.m that day, the airport premises and the surroundings had been jam parked with cars, and buses that ferried persons and groups from the length and breadth of the Niger Delta region.  Individuals, cultural troupes, clubs, association, and school children also lined up the roads and streets waiting to catch a glimpse of this eminent son of theirs to whom divine providence has bestowed the challenging responsibility of piloting the affairs of this great nation.

The Governor of Rivers State, Rt Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi who led his counterparts and other top government officials from the South-South and South-East geopolitical zones of the country to welcome this distinguished son of the Niger Delta, was bubbling overtly with joy.

Rivers State is a hospitable place, known for outstanding and colourful reception for its guests especially such august visitors as the President of the country and other senior government functionaries. But since its inception 43 years ago, the state has never held a reception as grandiose as the last one for any president/head of state of this country. Strictly speaking, the reception for President Jonathan during the two two-day working visit to the state, was unprecedented. Its memories will remain indelible on the minds of the people of Rivers State and others who witnessed the historic event.

Yes, Dr Jonathan hails from Otuoke in Ogbia Kingdom of Ogbia Local Government Areas of  Bayelsa State where he had his primary school education. And, he attended Mater Dei High School also in Bayelsa State. But he had his university education and other life experiences preparatory to his present calling in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. And to cap it all, he found his soul mate, his beloved wife, Patience, in Rivers State. So it was not surprising that Rivers people accorded him a most rousing welcome.

Dr Jonathan is a unique breed who has combined in him the virtues of the two  states, Bayelsa and Rivers; the virtues of love, humility, detachment, contentment, devotion to duty calmness of mind and body, and spirit of selfless service to man and God.

But above all, Dr Jonathan represents the Niger Delta region. A region that is both rich and poor; whose poverty is the fallout of its endowment and wealth.

In October, 2007, the Sixth Senate of the nation rose from its comfort zone for a five-day retreat in the overwhelmed, degraded Niger Delta region. The senators toured the region as anxious observers and reported that the economic and environmental difficulties faced by the various communities were lamentable. But nothing concrete came out of the retreat to benefit the people.

Thereafter, several efforts including the setting up of the Ibrahim Gambari Steering Committee that did not see the light of the day, the Technical Committee headed by Mr Ledum Mittee, and the Niger Delta Ministry have been made to resolve the region’s dilemma but to no avail.

These efforts only succeeded in merely raising the hopes of the Niger Delta people just like the Willinks Commission of Enquiry (1957), Niger Delta Development Board (NDDB) (1961), Niger Delta Basin Development Authority (NDBDA) (1976), the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC) (1992), and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) (2000).

The celebration that greeted the visit of Dr Jonathan to Rivers State therefore anchored primary on the fact that within the fifty years Nigeria has existed as an independent nation, this is the very first time the Niger Delta region, the engine of growth for the country’s development, is having its own; its own blood; its own son, as the President of the nation. The people therefore came out in their numbers with love in their hearts to welcome the one and only one who they now believe can sincerely address the developmental crisis of the region.

The Niger Delta situation still remains agonizing. Because even with the long years of commissions, boards, agencies, technical committees, special ministry, and now amnesty programme, the situation has not changed. The level of environmental devastation in the region is much worse now than ever before. The local economy has been terribly destroyed, fishing and farming, the economic mainstay of the people, are no longer productive ventures. And the problems of inadequate housing, high and rising levels of unemployment and under-employment, bad roads, bad water, bad air, and poor health arising from the mindless oil exploration and exploitation activities in the region continue to increase in an alarming rate.

It is part of man’s nature to search endlessly for solutions to his problems. But the solution to the Niger Delta quagmire is not beyond our nose. It is believed that one of the major desires and needs of the Niger Delta region is that the oil bearing communities be made part owners in the exploitation of their God-given resources.

This may help to bring about the required change in the Niger Delta region and raise the people above their present state of hoping against hope.

It will be self-deceit on the part of the leaders of the Nigerian State to think that oil will continually flow in the Niger Delta endlessly. Crude oil is not like fuel wood, wind, tidal, solar, biomas, and geothermal which are renewable energy sources, meaning that sooner or later, it will be exhausted.

The people of Niger Delta are therefore looking up to their own son, President Jonathan to boldly tackle the endemic problems of the region once and for all.

Vincent Ochonma