The governor of Nigeria’s oil and gas wealthy Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, has on Saturday, January 18, 2014 received an International Outstanding Leadership Award from Metro Éireann, Ireland’s leading and only multi-cultural newspaper.

Uduaghan who led a team of managers of the state’s economy to Ireland where he participated in a Mini Investment Summit for Delta State with Irish investors, based on the Delta Beyond Oil initiative, targeted areas of agriculture, aqua-culture, mineral, natural deposits, power and energy.

Governor Uduaghan was selected as this year’s recipient in recognition of his visionary leadership and the impressive impact that his work has had on the lives of men, women and children in Delta State since he became governor in May 2007.

Metro Éireann highlighted in particular Governor Uduaghan’s three-point programme of Peace and Security, Human Capital Development and Infrastructural Development.

The impact of this programme has been seen in the development of state-of-the-art infrastructure in education, agriculture, sports and health, as well as the ongoing job creation efforts in the state through substantial investments in modern airports, industrial parks, and sea ports, Metro Éireann stated.

Chike Ogeah, Delta State Commissioner for Information, who is also part of the delegation, said the government has put in place the mechanism for smoothening the process of registering concerns by foreign investors through the Delta State One Stop Shop for Investors (DSOSSI).

“The one stop shop is an investment facilitation mechanism where relevant government agencies are brought to one location, coordinated and streamlined to provide prompt, efficient and transparent services to investors”, Ogeah stated.

“This initiative will significantly help to increase knowledge of Nigeria and, in particular, Delta State among the international business community in Ireland as well as provide a forum for Nigerian and Irish businesspeople interested in investing in Delta State to meet with the number one citizen of the state,” said Chinedu Nnadozie Onyejelem, programme director of the events.

Also on the governor’s entourage are the Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Ken Okpara; Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Dr. Kingsley Emu and Commissioner in the Directorate of Micro-credit and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Antonia Ashiedu.