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By Sylvester Imonina
In every society and organization, there are peculiar problems that they want solved at every point in time. While the priority of some is food on their table, others are accommodations and a decent environment.
Every Government has its priorities, depending on what is of great concerns and interest to the people being served. I make bold to say that the priorities of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa led-government is in tandem with what the majority of Deltans want. Governor Okowa should be commended, not vilified. His developmental strides and programmes have impacted positively on the lives of the majority of Deltans.
Though, there is a school of thought that believes that Governor Okowa ought to have constructed several flyovers in the State like his counterpart in River State, while some are of the view that roads constructed so far by the Government of Delta State are not enough, compared to what the State’s yearly earnings are!
Well, those who are of the above views are not totally wrong but I dare say that Governor Okowa led-government understands the needs of Deltans more than any individual. The reason being that the State Executive Council has civil Commissioners and others, representing every Local Government Area in the State, and each and every one of them brings to the attention of the Council during their weekly Executive Council meetings, what is of paramount need to the people they represent.
There are so many signature projects of the Okowa led-government that cannot be wished away by lies from armchair critics. There was a time that flooding was very common occurrence in Asaba. Whenever it rained, so many places were impassable, particularly the Okpanam Road axis. But water storm drainage projects which gulped billions of Naira made the perennial flooding a thing of the past. As of today, when it rains, in less than ten minutes, a large volume of water/flood is taken care of by the water storm drainage.
Also, in the past, billions of Nairas were spent on rented offices for civil servants. What could have been channeled into meaningful developments in the State was used to service the pockets of some landlords in the State Capital. Today, there is an architectural masterpiece of the State Secretariat, housing almost all Government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies. Deltans can only imagine the billions of Nairas that have been saved by Governor Okowa through this well-thought-out legacy project.
In Warri and Effurun, there are some places that are impassable during the raining season. A visit to Marine Quarter and Enerhen Junction in Warri, PTI Road in Effurun when it rained before now would convince you that those places were like “River Niger”. The replication of water storm drainage projects in these places has brought succour to our people living in those areas of the twin cities of Warri and Effurun.
Ogheye Floating Market in Warri North Local Government Area is another star project of the present Government of Delta State. Ogheye Community, a community synonymous with a swampy environment now has a Floating Market where they sell their goods year in, and year out without being disturbed by water. Those from that community and surrounding communities see the Floating Market as a huge dividend of democracy and they are happier for it.
As of today, the majority of internal roads in the Riverine Communities in the Ijaw and Itsekiri areas are tarred. This is one area that was seen as an impossibility before now. But the Okowa magic wand had put to rest the assertion that development could not be carried out in every part of the State; though these projects in the riverine areas are more capital intensive because of the peculiar nature of the area but Okowa led-government is soldiering on with the available resources at the government’s disposal.
Govr. Ifeanyi Okowa whose belief in the educational development of Delta State is second to none, established three new Universities at a go. This is besides the already existing State University at Abraka, with a Campus of it at Oleh. The State Government is doing its best in making sure that there are no infrastructural deficits in these State Universities. There is no gainsaying the fact that the majority of young Deltans who used to be disabled from entering Higher Institutions in the County because of lack of admission space are now being absolved by these Universities. Though, some persons are of the view that the fees of these Universities are costly but without any air of equivocation, I dare to say that these Universities are amongst the cheapest States’ Universities in the Country, if not the cheapest. Doubting Thomas’s can make their findings.
In the area of Human Capital Development, so many of our youth are now entrepreneurs and employers of labour. These are occasioned by the State Government’s entrepreneurship programmes like Yagepreneurs, Stepreneurs, Rural Youth Skills Acquisitions programme (RYSA), and other programmes of the government of Delta State. The Youth that embraced these programmes are happier with their decisions. It was recently reported that Delta State is now an exporter of skills to other States in the Country, and some parts of West Africa. Thanks to the Okowa led-government programmes!
Our old mothers, and widows are not left out by the Okowa led-government. There is hardly any family in Delta State where these vulnerable groups are, that are not benefiting from the kind gesture of the Okowa led-government.
There are other prioritized projects and programmes of the State Government that time would not allow one to talk about. These above-mentioned projects and programmes are in Trillions of Naira, and if channeled to only construction of flyovers as some people would want the government to, almost all the cities in the State will have flyovers. But the present Government of Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa is prioritizing the needs of the majority of Deltans based on Undiluted information at its disposal.
It is said that human wants are unlimited, but individuals and Governments will always strive to meet up the greater number of what is needed and of great importance to the people. That, the Okowa led-government is doing. Deltans should not be deceived by what they hear about others in Nigeria. Some of the things they hear are hyped. Our dear State is far ahead of the majority of States in Nigeria, and the State Government is doing its best to balance all sectors of the State.
©️ Sylvester Imonina, writes from Uduere-Ughelli, Delta State.