Delta State is, no doubt, endowed with enlightened people. The fact that its citizens are featuring prominently in different sectors of Nigeria’s economy is a pointer to the fact that the people cannot be said to be bereft of ideas. As such, the Governor of Delta State, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa is very cautious of his actions and inactions bearing in mind that he found himself in a position where he is the first among equals.
From the appointments he has made, visits to political leaders and general handling of the affairs of the state, including execution of projects, the Governor has been very cautious, carrying everybody along as much as possible.
Within the first 100 days in office, he has made a lot of progress, and taken actions which have distinguished him as a man who knows the challenges of governance and how to go about surmounting them.
He got the first dosage of criticism when he initiated a Bill within his first few days of being in office to amend the law of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, (DESOPADEC). The criticisms were so much that those who were involved made in newspapers. That was a clear case of how far Deltans can go in ensuring that the governor hears their views.
The criticisms that trailed the amendment bill of the DESOPADEC were much but, most of those who made the criticism, were not aware of the content of the bill. The criticisms however, made the Delta State House of Assembly to have public hearing on the Bill and all aggrieved persons or groups were given the opportunity to make their contributions to the bill. It was during that period that some persons, including the critics, got to know the content of the original law and what was contained in the amendment bill.
That bill has since been passed into law and a management Board for the DESOPADEC has been constituted and made functional with accolades going to Governor Okowa for been proactive.
During the signing of the Bill into law, Governor Okowa said, “there was a lot of interest when this bill was presented to the House of Assembly and as is customary of Deltans who are very bright and vibrant, a lot of people showed interest and they had the opportunity to contribute their quota towards a robust Commission. I want to thank God that the Delta State House of Assembly took the bill to public hearing and Deltans made their contributions to enrich the bill; there was a lot of engagement and misconception that arose from the fact that some people did not even know what was in the original law and did not know what was contained in the amendment bill that was sent to the House. We thank God that at the end, the bill was in the best interest of Delta State and the oil producing communities in particular.”
“I want to appeal to all, it is time for us to build Delta together; we are open to criticism, we are open to suggestions, we may not know it all but one thing that I know is that we must be united. It is time for us to love ourselves; it is time for us to build the Delta State of our dream,” Governor Okowa also said during a ceremony at Ellu, Isoko North Local Government Area of the state.
Governor Okowa has ensured a balance in political appointments. Nobody has faulted the appointment of Commissioners as they were well spread across the state, membership of the State Advisory and Peace Building Committee was also selected with wisdom that many Deltans came out to commend Governor Okowa, and in terms of wealth-creation which his programmes are hinged on, Governor Okowa has not only ensured that politicians who have made their mark in the political scene have been given roles on how to ensure prosperity for all Deltans but, within few days of his administration, rolled out empowerment programmes that saw more than 70,000 persons applying to be beneficiaries of the programmes.
The fact that more than 70.000 Deltans applied to benefit from the empowerment programmes of the Governor was a clear testimony of the fact that Deltans believe in Governor Okowa and are confident that the Governor was not paying lip service to the act of governance. In all 6,000 persons have been selected from all the communities in the state for the programmes without any form of favouritism or discrimination. The Governor has also assured other prospective candidates that 6,000 persons will benefit from the programme every six months till the end of his administration.
Of course, the hawks are watching, waiting for a wrong step to enable them raise alarm and take a swipe on the Governor but, Governor Okowa was obeying the maxim that ‘he who goes to equity, must go with clean hands.’ He is transparent in his activities, ensuring equity in his actions to the extent that when his administration moved to reconstruct technical colleges in the state, carefully selected from the senatorial districts.
Though, being cautious has been very good as it has ensured a stable polity, the fear by some pundits was that bearing in mind the nature of Delta State, it is just impossible to replicate projects with a bid to ensure that everybody is carried along. Comparative advantage must be considered if we must benefit maximally from the wealth Delta State is endowed with.
Governor Okowa is enlightened, experienced and forward-looking. Within his first 100 days of being in office, he has almost turned the state into a huge construction site, despite the rains. He has released money and ensured that construction work is going on at the Government Hospital, Patani, Government Hospital, Abavo, construction of markets at Sapele and Orerokpe, while the technical colleges at Ofagbe, Agbor and Sapele are simultaneously getting a face lift.
There is no doubt that once the rain subsides, the roads will get favourable attention, too, from Governor Okowa’s administration as concerted efforts are being put in place to ensure that Deltans are prosperous.
One hundred days in office of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa witnessed concerted efforts towards taking the basic steps by an experienced manager of man and resources for the people to get the best.
While one can say that Governor Okowa has made a lot of progress cautiously bearing in mind too, the dwindling revenue as a result of fall in price of crude oil, it is important for one to call for patience from Deltans as they also, pray for the government to meet their expectations.
For the critics, life is not only about seeing evil, they can also, point out the way forward and avoid a situation whereby they put the state government put to public ridicule because if the government is ridiculed, all Deltans, including the critics at the end, are losers. Governor Okowa, it is worthy to note, has the comportment, the finesse and the right state of mind to govern Delta State and of course, he knows all the nooks and crannies of the state and knows notable Deltans by name despite where they are from.
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