GOVERNOR OKOWA’S ONE YEAR IN OFFICE: BRINGING EXPERIENCE TO BEAR IN GOVERNANCE

The last one year has been a trying period not only for Delta State but the entire country owing to ever dwindling revenue to every level of government. However, this State has been quite lucky that it is in safe, very safe hands. Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has brought his vast experience at various levels of governance into play, as much has been achieved in all spheres despite the precarious financial situation.  

Governor Okowa sees youth empowerment as key to unlocking the hidden potentials of youths, and overcoming insecurity and poverty. He has countlessly advocated and demonstrated investing in the wellbeing of the youths and equally positing that the neglect in addressing such vital societal issue could pose serious challenges as political violence, unemployment, armed conflicts and other social related vices.

As an experienced grassroots politician, Governor Okowa is in tune with the needs of the people and through the SMART Agenda, has brought smiles on the faces of Deltans, particularly the youths. Through the wealth creation programme, thousands of youths have been taken out from the unemployment line as they have been taught different trades and given starter packs and seed money to eke out a living with the hope that resourceful ones will ultimately become employers of labour.

To sustain skill acquisition in the State, the government has renovated three technical colleges at Ofagbe, Agbor and Sapele to train youths in different skills, which can make them self-reliant.

Though there is serious financial constraint, the State government has completed eight roads across the state and over twenty roads are on-going in all parts of the State. When compared to the revenue accruing to the State, the volume of work and construction activities going on and the ones already completed, is quite astonishing.

In the health sector, much has been achieved as the government is taking healthcare to the grassroots with the initiation of the contributory health insurance scheme to facilitate the wholesale enjoyment healthcare delivery by Deltans.

One of the greatest results of good governance is the degree of freedom created for the citizens to pursue whatever gives them happiness within the ambit of the law. The pursuit of happiness is one of the foundational doctrines of human society and one of the high promises of the developing world. Governance is not effective when the citizens live in fear. Nor is it governance when it does not guarantee freedom.

Happily, in Delta State, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has a broad understanding of the intricate relationships between freedom, happiness and good governance. That is why in one year as governor of Delta State, he has taken care of the fundamentals for a responsible government and set the tone for a happy and prosperous society.

This overview can best be understood given the context that a State, which was receiving between twelve and twenty billion naira now totters between five and six billion naira in revenue.