Last Sunday, August 27, Delta marked her 32^nd anniversary as a state. The Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, was emphatic and deliberate on how the event should be marked. It will be thanksgiving to God. Nothing else. It was smart thinking on the part of the Governor to choose thanksgiving over speeches, lectures and typical Nigerian wasteful celebratory buntings.  The mood of the nation does not justify such frolicking on the wild.

Opting for thanksgiving at these times is therefore not just morally right, it bears a deeper spiritual essence. More so, for the symbolism of the number 32. In the Bible, in cosmology and other realms of human questing for knowledge and wisdom, the number 32 packs a special aura.

It’s said to be associated with balance and harmony. For humans and entities including Delta state, it is a time to consciously seek both balance and harmony. Biblically, Jesse, the father of King David was the 32^nd patriarch in Jesus’ genealogy through both his ‘stepfather’ Joseph and his mother Mary. Several other patterns exist in the Bible and sundry spiritual cosmos that confer special meaning on the number 32.

Oborevwori’s decision to herd Deltans to the mountain of thanksgiving and adoration to the Most High God could be said to bear the seal of divinity than just a political showmanship for public appeal. Deltans have every cause to be thankful at 32. And it’s more than a coincidence that the state turned 32 when Oborevwori, a man of peace who preaches harmony, is governor. The man Delta people call more by his first name, a proof of his endearment and affinity to his people, has had his own fair share of divine help. Call it time and chance, Oborevwori is a grateful beneficiary; call it divine mercy, he swims in it. And at every opportunity, he never ceases to remind you of how the hosts of heaven have stood by him in moments of perils and uncertainties. He understands, just like David in the Bible, that gratitude to God is the key to unlocking the barn of heaven just so mortal man can partake of the dews that sooth and satiate.

So, when last Sunday, Deltans, home and in the Diaspora, lifted their eyes to heaven and twanged the guitar in thanksgiving, it was not for the optics to impress but an expression of benign appreciation to the God that set them apart as a special state endowed with the very best of human capital and immeasurable natural resources. There is harmony and peace in Delta because the Prince of Peace has established His presence among the people. Delta has to be in harmony for Nigeria to breathe, economically.

Though the thanksgiving was universal from the coastal communities through the upland to the far-flung places of the earth where Deltans call home, the hub of the ceremony was inside the hallowed Cathedral Church of St. Peters (Anglican Communion), Bishop’s Court, Asaba, where the governor, as the face of the state, was represented by his deputy, Sir Monday Onyeme.

It was a fitting moment for Oborevwori to rouse the people to a new sprouting of hope. He thanked Deltans for their unrelenting support to his administration and successive governments since the creation of the state.

Typical of the governor, he gave no special plaudits to himself but was gracious in his recognition of the contributions of his predecessors in the making of a truly united Delta despite the variegated ethnic composition.

Delta, split from the old Bendel State (former Mid-West region), on that fateful August 27, 1991 by the military regime of Ibrahim Babangida, was severed from the union with the full complement of its DNA: A people of academic excellence, sporting prowess, dash and style, chutzpah, élan, creativity, resourcefulness and uncommon pluck often misinterpreted as pride by outsiders. It’s this innate brio and unvarnished bravery that have made the state the think-tank of the nation; a foundry of the best species of Homo sapiens in all worthy human endeavour. At home and abroad, Deltans have continued to astound the world.

Indeed, Deltans have made, and are still making, invaluable contributions to the world. From space science to liberal arts, theatre to healthcare, sports to ICT, Delta with a population of nearly 6 million is arguably the salt of the nation. Its asset remains the rich repository of capable human capital, not the buoyant deposits of crude oil, gas and an assortment of minerals including silica, kaolin, limestone, industrial clay, among others. On the national canvas, Deltans have added immeasurable value through quality service and brilliant interventions. A majority of the most successful media outfits in Nigeria, print and electronic, are owned by Deltans. The success stories of banking in Nigeria has the imprimatur of Deltans all over it. The state is a major contributor of sportsmen and women to the national matrix.

Globally, they have continued to outshine competition, confounding even Westerners in western education, manifesting exceptional creative skills and building successful businesses from cradle to the crest. Deltans have over the years helped to burnish the international image of Nigeria by manifesting bright sparks in their respective engagements and endeavour across the globe.

Delta, like many states in Nigeria, has had her fair share of internal upheavals and challenges. Intra and inter-community strivings, flooding, environmental despoliation through oil spills and nonchalance of oil majors, among others, but she survives all. Since the rebirth of democracy in 1999, Delta has consciously made effort to sustain leadership harmony and equity in the state through a well-thought out rotational system that balances the centrifugal and centripetal political forces which gives all the three senatorial districts a sense of belonging. And not in any way has this promoted mediocrity in leadership because Delta is so endowed with resourceful men and women such that anywhere you look, there is a ready leadership outlier primed to take the mantle.

Overall, celebrating Delta at 32 in one piece and in peace testifies to the resolve of the people to live together. It speaks to their resolute spirit to triumph over trials, diminish the fault lines that strive to tear them apart and maximize the virtues and creeds that bind them. It’s a testament to how best to manage diversity in a secular, multicultural community. This is what Nigerian leadership at the national level has not been able to achieve.

Oborevwori is the set man when Delta is 32. It’s beyond a privilege to be the leader of a community of about 6 million people. It’s an honour that comes from God. The Governor knows this. Little wonder he has chosen to re-dedicate the state to the only true God in thanksgiving while urging his constituents to commit to the ethos of democracy, peace and harmonious living. On his part, he’s pledged to do MORE for the people through development. May it be well with Delta.