By Kenny Okotie

Hon. Agbateyiniro Weyinmi Isaac is a detribalised Deltan from Warri South Local Government Area and he is also gunning for the chairmanship position of the council in an LGA election scheduled for July 13, 2024, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). 

He is blessed with a rich resume which, even his political opponents would attest to. Agbateiniro is a man of many parts, who, if given the opportunity, will impact tremendously on the lives of the people of Warri South LGA by providing and ensuring they get the dividends of democracy. 

According to him, “the third tier of our constitutional democracy under a political dispensation is the local government which of course is the closest to the people and a very important one at that.” 

Weyinimi promises to bring a paradigm shift in the administration of Warri South because he believes the people deserve nothing but the very best. Warri is generally acclaimed to be the commercial capital of Delta State, and so, he will propagate the MORE agenda of the governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, to the fullest. Agbateyiniro recalls that, in times past, precisely in the 70s and 80s, Warri was a bustling city in which everyone lived irrespective of tribe or religious leanings.

A lot has gone under the bridge in those yonder years. As of then, everyone blended freely. Nightlife was at its highest peak. There were always parties to look up to every weekend. It was such a phenomenon. Many industries were alive to bridge the unemployment gap. The likes of Shell, Chevron, NPA, NNPC, DSC, Mcdermott and many others were providing jobs en masse for the people of Warri. The Pidgin English spoken was uniquely Wafarian. Both the young and the old speak it fluently. Even outside the shores of Warri, when you speak the special pidgin English, you are easily identified as having come from Warri.

Warri as of then was a place to behold. It was the preferred destination of all and sundry. It was also a place where the children of the poor and the rich blended freely. 

Warri presently, has derailed from its former glory. The Warri of today is been fractionalised into ethnicity, religiosity and the like. Today, there are banditries, kidnappings, and ethnic bigotry steering us in the face. Can Warri regain its lost glory?

Hon. Agbateyiniro Weyinmi Isaac believes, with him at the saddle and helm of affairs in Warri South, he will assiduously try his best to bring back the lost glory of Warri because he is a son of the soil and he understands fully the ills of Warri.

With his belief in the supremacy of God, there is nothing too difficult, or impossible for God to achieve. Hon. Agbateyiniro with his administrative dexterity is of the view that local governments are engines of grassroots development.

Moreso, he has a shared vision of empowering Warri youths to thrive by fostering creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills that will set them up for success. He noted that one typical characteristic of our nation is the unbridled capacity to deploy deception, pretence, outright lies and prevarication, as tools for the management of public affairs, all in a grand design to obfuscate the truth, where inefficiency and graft thrive.

Hon. Weyinmi obtained a BSc in Geology from the prestigious University of Calabar and also the Federal University of Technology, Owerri where he obtained his MSc in Geophysics. Not finished yet, he obtained a postgraduate diploma in Education (PGDE) from Delta State University, Abraka.

He also attended some training for self-development at the Michael Imodu National Institute of Labour Studies, certification on effective trade union governance and administration, and certification on strategic leadership development. Suffice to say that Hon. Agbateyiniro is a member of some affiliated professional bodies such as the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society, Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists and a distinguished fellow of the Chartered Institute of Information and Strategy Management. 

It would interest you to note that Isaac served as a Senior Special Assistant to the Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, from August 2019 to May 2023. Assistant Principal Geologist, Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, Member, Water Resources Environment and Human Settlement Committee, Delta State Transition Committee, member, Nigerian Football Federation Youth Committee from 2020-2022, member Olu of Warri, Petroleum Industrial Act, Advisory Committee in 2022 and Assistant Director, Youth Mobilization, Delta State PDP 2023 campaign council, and Chairman, Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, DESOPADEC unit, National President, Itsekiri National Youth Council, also National President, National Association of Itsekiri students and Secretary General, Nigerian Forum of Commissioners for Youths and Sports Development and so many other capacities too numerous to mention here. Hon. Agbateyiniro Weyinmi is a national icon with a compelling public presence. 

With a career characterised by exciting events and meaningful contributions, he certainly knows where the shoe pinches most.

Weyinmi is a hero in his own right. He is a man of spartan simplicity, moreso, what he cannot contribute in some areas, he makes up for in dedication and industry. He is single-minded and dedicated to his ideals.

Hon. Weyinmi’s philanthropic acts are epitomized in his aid to the less privileged in society. He is also a gentleman with multi-disciplinary skills. Agbateyiniro views this forthcoming local government election as a litmus test to the so many relevant endeavours in stock for Warri South LGA. “Thus, we stand on the shoulders of giants and our children would stand tall on ours”, he enthused.