So Sad! Ex-Delta Commissioner, Joe Utomi, Is Dead

By Onome Oghenetega

The immediate past Delta State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Joe Utomi, is dead.

Utomi, a former Chairman of Aniocha South Local Government Area of the state, died on Friday evening in Asaba, the Delta State capital.

The deceased was said to have slumped on Friday, and he reportedly passed on before help could come.

Utomi, a native of Ubulu-Uku in Aniocha South LGA, was appointed as commissioner during the twilight of the first term of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa following a minor cabinet reshuffling.

He was said to be one of the pillars of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the party’s easy triumph in Aniocha South during the 2019 general elections.

The President of Ubulu-Uku Development Union (UDU), Jones Ofunne, confirmed the development on Saturday.

Ofunne, a close ally of the departed politician, however, expressed shockon the sad incident, describing Utomi as a “man full of life.”

"He was full of life. He was not sick a couple of days back when I saw him. You can imagine my shock when I was called and was told about his death, I quickly told the caller it cannot be true. How can this be? One minute somebody is standing and dancing with friends, the next moment he is in the mortuary,” Ofunne said

One of his last assignments as Commissioner was a keynote he presented at the Nigeria Agropreneurs Forum (NAF) Agribusiness Summit 2019 in Asaba.