In a gesture widely celebrated across Delta South Senatorial District, Senator Joel-Onowakpo Thomas on Wednesday gifted six of his legislative aides special Toyota vehicles at a colourful ceremony held at his country home in Emede, Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State. The event drew hundreds of constituents, party faithful and well-wishers who filled the expansive compound with songs, applause and jubilation.
The beneficiaries, drawn from across the major ethnic groups in the senatorial district, received either a Toyota Camry or Toyota Corolla each. Michael Emumena Paul, the senator’s Media Director, and Oviri Kelvin, Senior Special Assistant (Isoko), were presented with Toyota Camry cars. Ezebri Ebiakpo (Senior Special Assistant, Ijaw), Kingsley Tenumah (Senior Special Assistant, Itsekiri), Gabriel Okandeji (Senior Special Assistant, Urhobo), and Egbayinor Christabel, a Special Adviser, each drove away in a Toyota Corolla sport edition.
The ceremony began with a short sermon and the blessing of the vehicles by Apostle M.T.O Oki, General Overseer of Christ Chosen Deliverance Church (CCDC). The cleric urged the recipients to see the gifts as both reward and responsibility, encouraging them to redouble their loyalty and diligence in serving both the senator and the people of Delta South. He reminded everyone present that patience and faithfulness in service ultimately attract divine and human favour, while warning that ungrateful conduct or careless utterances against one’s benefactor could diminish the grace upon a person’s life.
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Senator Joel-Onowakpo Thomas, in his address, explained that the vehicles were meant to enhance the mobility of the aides, thereby enabling them to discharge their duties more effectively across the vast riverine and upland communities that make up the senatorial district. He acknowledged that many more aides and supporters were deserving but stressed that the empowerment would continue in phases. He appealed for understanding and continued dedication from those not captured in the current batch, assuring them that greater opportunities were still in the pipeline.
The senator used the occasion to reel off some of his legislative and constituency achievements since he was sworn in as the representative of Delta South in 2023. He highlighted that he had sponsored about eight bills, four of which had already scaled through the Senate, with one receiving presidential assent from President Bola Tinubu. On the empowerment front, he revealed that over 2,000 constituents had benefited from various life-changing items ranging from motorcycles, cassava grating machines, Yamaha outboard engines, deep freezers, sewing and grinding machines, to generating sets and solar installation equipment. Furthermore, more than 100 youths from the district had undergone specialised vocational training in high-demand areas of the oil and gas and engineering sectors, including LPG handling, FPSO operations, class welding, transformer repair, automation and instrumentation, data science, and solar energy maintenance.
The atmosphere remained electric as each beneficiary was called forward to receive the car keys amid thunderous ovation. Many constituents described the event as a clear demonstration of inclusive leadership, noting that the senator had ensured representation from the Ijaw, Itsekiri, Isoko, and Urhobo ethnic groups among the beneficiaries.
As the newly empowered aides took turns test-driving their vehicles around the community to the delight of onlookers, the consensus among attendees was that Senator Joel-Onowakpo Thomas continues to set a high benchmark for constituency representation and grassroots empowerment in Delta State and indeed Nigeria.
