Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan and Mr. Japhet Omene at the thanksgiving ceremony
It was a grand homecoming for the immediate past Governor of Delta state and 2019 Senatorial Hopeful -His Excellency, Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, when he made triumphant entry into the First Baptist Church, Mosogar, venue of the thanksgiving service organized in his honour by his adopted son Mr. Japhet Omene, who was a former bus conductor.
As the former Governor and his full entourage settled into the service, the Choir rendition of Travis Greene’s “Made A Way” charged the congregation spiritually. The chorus especially, epitomizes the transformation relationship between Dr. Uduaghan and his adopted son, Japhet.
A tearful Japhet Omene (now a graduate of History and International Relations from Bowen University) recounted a heart-touching story of his divine encounter with his adoptive father on August 19, 2009 at the Petroluem Training Institute (PTI) Conference Centre, venue of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan’s first ever Town Hall interactive meeting.
He said: “That morning when I left my house I went to the garage where I worked as a bus conductor and it was there I heard that the Governor was coming for a Town Hall Meeting in order for him to hear what Deltans had to say about his administration. Immediately I got the information I left the garage and started heading straight to the venue of the meeting. On my way, a bike man stopped and carried me for free simply because I was a co-fan of an English football club -Chelsea FC”. My friend that was a Manchester United fan was left at the gate. That funny act made me arrive the gate of the conference just at the same time with the convoy of His Excellency”.
The event happened at the reign of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan Edu Marshall program, an education task-force committee that arrested wandering students in the state. As an SS1 student, Japhet was supposed to be in class.
The young activist continued, “The Governor on seeing me beckoned on me to come. Seeing my scruffy appearance, the Governor knew that all was not well with me and I seem to be the only teenager among the crowd. He asked why I was not in class. I told him all was not well with my family and I hustle as a bus conductor to support my family. On hearing this, he instructed me to come with him to the hall where we sat together. I only came to catch a glimpse of the Governor everyone, including my parents were talking about. A glimpse that has now changed my life forever.” Japhet’s family used the opportunity to thank God for His hand in the life of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, whom they described as Godsent and a defender of the downtrodden in the Delta Society.
Corroborating the story, the former Senator representing Delta Central, Chief Ighoyota Amori, the Otota of Mosogar Kingdom, who was a witness of Japhet’s divine encounter with destiny, testified to former Governor Uduaghan’s uncommon magnanimity, sometimes breaking protocols to provide better living conditions for Deltans, irrespective of tribe. The former Commissioner and Political Adviser to Chief James Ibori said he was shocked beyond words to see a refined Japhet after that encounter in 2009. He revealed that Dr. Uduaghan kept to his promise by taking care of Japhet like his biological son and ensuring that he graduated from one of the best universities in Nigeria as well as attending conferences in Europe.
Responding earlier, Dr. Uduaghan said that he did not know how Japhet found his way to the PTI Conference Centre when he ought to have been in school. He used the opportunity to appreciate God for the life of Japhet whom, according to him, “have proven to be a worthy and God-fearing son”. He advised the congregation against treating indigent children with disdain because later in the life, they might be the “chief cornerstone”.