How I rose ordinary creek boy to my presents status in life – Delta Deputy Gov
Deputy Governor of Delta State, Deacon Kingsley Otuaro, has revealed that his “innate potential as problem solver” was what catapulted him, once a jobless boy in the creeks of Niger-Delta, to his present status in life, charging youths to positively develop their inborn abilities.
“To the glory of God, it was the problem -solving potential that gave me the opportunity to become the deputy governor of Delta state today. It also earned me opportunity from then Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, to contribute towards resolving Niger Delta challenge”, he said at an inspirational conference by Aspire Global Group, led by Mr. Wisdom Oghoghovia, at Warri, weekend.
“I just landed in London when I got an invitation from the Presidency then led by Prof. Yemi Osinbajo as Acting President. I called my principal, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa who asked me to rejig my schedule to attend to the call. I eventually flew in to Abuja and sat face to face with decision makers who said they had intelligence I could do something about resolving then raging oil crisis in the Niger Delta.
“The Presidency’s subsequent backing did a lot to calm down the upheaval”, he added.
Narrating his role in the rescue of six abducted students of a Lagos High School during Governor Ambode’s tenure, Otuaro urged youths to “discover and give positive commercial value to your innate potentials”, stressing that “innate potential was a key to entrepreneurial success”.
Advising the youths to take advantage of the state government’s programmes tagged YAGEP, STEP, RYSA, among others to express their potentials, he categorized earlier cases where problem-solving ability led him to his conviction that “the Lord respects your discovery and understanding of your potential and provides opportunities in your path”.
“I grew up in the creeks of the Niger Delta, which we know to be challenging environment with poor infrastructure. Going from Secondary School to the University was a challenging experience. Let me inform that you are a product of a socialization process that involves all the people you meet, the books you read, the company – good, bad and ugly that you keep and who wrongly or nicely influence you. All of these cumulatively make you.
“Even before graduation from the Edo State (now Ambrose Alli) University, Ekpoma , where I studied Law, I discovered that I had an inborn potential as problem- solver, just as all of you have different potentials that need to be discovered.
“Due to my problem-solving potential, I got the confidence of my community’s Governing Council which invited me on several occasions, shortly before I left university, to their meetings while not being a member, to resolve problems. I was given easy ride to becoming subsequent Chairman of the community’s Governing Council for six straight years”, Otuaro narrated.
He informed that his search for job rather threw him up as an employer of labour due to his problem -solving potential.
“I preferred works not tied to timelines of 8.00 am to 4.00 pm or 5.00 pm, so I looked to solve a problem my people suffered in hands of Chevron Nigeria Limited , a multinational oil giant, whose deep sea wells and operations, we constructively insisted, destroyed our parents’ capacity for fishing livelihood and means to properly train us, their children.
“We demanded compensation through constructive agitations, approaching the National Assembly’s Oil and Gas Committee then led by Senator David Briggidi. We succeeded with job slots and contract opportunities, which made us become employers of labour”, Otuaro said amidst applause by the stimulated audience.
