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THE MAN, EMMANUEL UDUAGHAN As a child and student, his early traits indicated that he was marked out for a leadership role in most circles he found himself particularly among peers. In life after school, selfless service, hard work, discipline and commitment to duty have been the qualities dotting what one would call his road map to success and frontline role. His profile is as intimidating as it is enviable. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan was born into the family of Chief Edmund D. Uduaghan and Mrs Cecilia Uduaghan on October 22,1954. The father Hailed from Abigborodo in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State, while the mother Cecilia hailed from Ubiaja in Esan South-East of Edo State. And so began a journey that had been characterized by several achievements, the result of dogged determination to succeed and fulfil the ambition of offering selfless service to society. His academic career began in Baptist Primary School, Mosogar in Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State, where he was a pupil between 1961 –1966. He went to Federal Government College, Warri for his secondary education from 1968 – 1974. The college was one of the elite secondary schools in the country in those days rated among such schools as Government College, Ughelli, Edo College Benin City; Kings College, Lagos; St. Patrick’s college Asaba; and Government College Umuahia to mention a few. On successful completion of secondary school in 1974, he longed for greater academic heights. What he had achieved so far was just like laying the foundation for a future career in life. The choices varied from Engineering to Medicine, Law to Accountancy and such other popular courses of those days. Emmanuel opted for Medicine at the University of Benin. The choice of study was not only determined by the need to have a means of livelihood, but mostly by an undying urge for selfless service through bringing succour to the sick. It is this motivation that has continued to influence his activities even outside his professional area of medicine. He was in the University of Benin from 1975 to 1980 after which he graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS). He still needed to enrich his knowledge in his chosen career, to stock up his academic arsenal. He did this successfully by obtaining a Diploma in Anaesthesia from the University of Benin after a course lasting from 1985 to 1986. In 1981, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan fresh from the university was posted to Kwara State for the one year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). Here again, he excelled and stood out as a shining star. He was honoured as the most outstanding Corps Doctor in Kwara State at the end of the service year. The award by the State’s NYSC Director was a deserving acknowledgement of his remarkable contribution to the health care delivery system. This award by a state other his own was a clear manifestation of Dr. Uduaghan’s commitment to hard work and a desire to succeed. This was a pointer to a future life of sterling achievements. His life of work outside school has been quite interesting. He made his debt as an employed medical doctor at the Delta Steel Company (DSC) Medical center, Aladja in Delta State. Here again he continued to manifest his desire to always contribute his best in service. He won the DSC General Manager’s prize for outstanding service. Deservedly, he rose to the rank of senior Medical Office (SMO), within a period of six years; another milestone on his way to success. Between 1989 and 1994, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan served in a number of healthcare facilities such as Shell Clinic Ogunu; Westend Hospital Warri and Benoni Clinic Benin City Edo State. Perks for a medical doctor and consultant anaesthesiologist employed in any of these hospitals were quite attractive. But Dr. Uduaghan, propelled by the urge to offer satisfactory service to the people free of the constraints of paid employment, opted to become a private medical practitioner, he then set up his own Abode Clinic in Warri in memory of his grandmother. Outside his professional field, Dr. Uduaghan’s main preoccupation has been politics and in this, he has been successfully braving through. Essentially a grassroots politician, he was chairman and foundation Member of the All Nigerian Congress Association, Warri South Local Government Area. During the late Gen. Sani Abacha’s ill-fated transition to civil rule programme, he was a founding member of the Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM) and later rose to become an executive officer of the party. He is today a foundation member of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Before then, he had served as Secretary, ALL Itsekiri Politicians Forum. When the nation returned to democratic rule in May 1999, Governor James Ibori, recognising his ability to perform, appointed him into his cabinet as the Commissioner of Health. After several years of neglect under the military, Delta State’s public health. Care delivery system was near total collapse. SO it was a challenging task that confronted the then new commissioner. He had embarked on a salvage mission. Existing public hospitals and other health institutions needed rehabilitation. New ones needed to be constructed to meet growing demand. Health workers needed to be motivated. Summarily, the system needed a clinical transformation. In all these, Dr Uduaghan performed creditably to the commendation of all. Within his tenure as Commissioner for Health, all the public hospitals in Delta State were rehabilitated and many upgraded. New hospitals were built across the State, while equipment were provided for better services. The out-of-stock syndrome for drugs at the hospitals became a thing of the past. Medical staff were motivated through enhanced allowances and other benefits. In reality, the health sector came back to life and better positioned to adequately serve the people. His successor must have felt relieved to have something good to build upon. In recognition of his efforts, the National Association of Nigerian Students(NANS) honoured him as the most outstanding Health Commissioner in the South-South Zone of the country. Given such enviable background, proven ability and experience, not a few Deltans Welcomed his appointment on June 6, 2003 to the exalted position of Secretary of the State Government, a key functionary in the government, by Governor James Ibori. Most people score his performance as SSG very high. Those familiar with his pedigree will hardly be surprised. As Secretary to the State Government, he continued to display transparency, honesty and hard work. A stickler to discipline and honest service, he told a seminar organised b he Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) that the Ibori Administration was determined at checking unethical and fraudulent practices. His words “ It will henceforth ensure that discipline is brought to bear in the conduct of our duties as public officers. If we must meet the expectations of our people who desire qualitative public service, then, of course we must necessarily be proactive and more efficient in the use of the meagre resources available”. Addressing fellow top government functionaries at a workshop, he stressed on a familiar field, which is good governance: “The activities of government must be conducted according to laid down guidelines and procedures. There shall be no shut cut”. Dr. Uduaghan can be remembered for his prominent role in conflict resolution in a state that was wrecked by communal strife in the Warri area at the inception of the Ibori administration in 1999. He played a prominent role in dousing the tension and ensuring the peace and stability that now reign in the Warri area and the State in general. A staunch supporter of resource control, true federalism and other causes of the South-South people, he has remained an arrowhead to the attainment of the crusade. His commitment is not in doubt. On poverty eradication in the society, Dr. Uduaghan believes that the campaign must involve all the stakeholders. He argues that while the political leaders “ can do so much to leverage situations on poverty,” by virtue of their positions, “other leadership strata within civil society such as men on top of the corporate or business ladder, religious leaders, NGOs, civil organisations, economic groups and even social critics have their parts to play in the global coalition of concern to fight poverty”. In his professional field, Dr. Uduaghan had served as Secretary, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) Warri; Secretary and Secretary of Association of Private Medical and Dental Practitioners, Warri Zone. He is a member of the Jaycees International, under which auspices he attended several world congresses and activities of the leadership development. He won the Award of the Most Outstanding President of Area ‘B’ of the Nigeria Chamber of Jaycees International (1989). He is a member of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM). A Christian of the Baptist Faith, he is married with two children.   
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