Governor
Ifeanyi Okowa is one leader that has refused to be perturbed by judicial
distractions from opponents. His focus is on how to make Delta State better
than he met it. That has remained his cardinal unprejudiced mission. Read more at:
He
foreclosed his mind-set from the onset from issues he knows will not add to the
betterment of the State and its people, to concentrate his attention to bring
prosperity to Deltans by providing jobs and creating wealth to better their lot.
Having acknowledged that Delta State has tremendous potentials in agriculture, including the urgent need for job and wealth creation, Governor Okowa within three months of coming into office set up six new schemes to grow the agro -industrial sector of the economy, namely Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurial Programme (YEGEP), Skill Training and Entrepreneurship Programme (STEP), Production and Processing Support Programme (PPSP), Tractorisation, Extension of Microcredit and Agricultural Loans and Development of Agro-industries.
The policy objectives of these programmes are aimed at creating jobs and wealth, diversify the economy, engage the youths in productive enterprise, nurture entrepreneurs and leaders, promote communal peace and security and develop database of employment and unemployed youths for planning purposes.
As part of measures to sustain the Skills Acquisition Programme, the State government commenced the rehabilitation of Technical Colleges across the State and appointed and set up the Vocational Skills Education Board.
The Governor also
made bold statement on roads’ construction, a few new projects were awarded,
while emphasis is on the completion of on-going road projects. Governor Okowa’s
administration has awarded 48.8 kilometres of roads and the contractors have
been given 25 per cent of the contract sums as mobilization, they
include dualisation of Nnebisi-Cable Road, Okpanam Road, Sector A of the Ughelli/Asaba Road and
the Agbor/Ozanogogo Road among others. The
contractors are on site, while some of the roads would be completed by March
next year and work will commence on others in January.
Despite the tight financial environment,
the State government has continued to meet its obligations to
the State workers as at when due. It is commendable that despite fears among
workers over December salary, the State government shamed doubting Thomases by
paying before Christmas. The State government has also released the sum of
N2billion to the Central Bank of Nigeria for the payment of pensioners in the State
through the Contributory Pension Scheme.
The
Governor ended the year 2015 with the presentation of the 2016 Budget. The Governor
outlined that the 2016 Budget will afford development that is sustainable in
Health, Education, Electricity, Water Supply, Agriculture, Information
Technology, Capacity Building, Infrastructure, Housing, Commerce and Industry,
General Administration, Security, Industrialization and other facets of
governance.
The
productivity of a leader is the ratio that measures his performance. Governor
Okowa is a leader that should be categorized among the high performing in 2015.
His first six months has been inspiring. He can only
do better.
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