I have, in the last few months, been shuttling
from villages to towns across the three senatorial districts of Delta State at
a high frequency for various reasons that additionally paid off in a manner I
least envisaged. In the vast majority of areas thus visited, the common
denominator of my journeys can be encapsulated within the context of a landmark
developmental statement presently dominating the geography of Delta.
My numerous trips ended up becoming a
firsthand experience of the developmental strides of the Senator Dr. Ifeanyi
Okowa led government, a series of encounters that have inspired me to share
those experiences with Deltans, more so for the reason of avoiding false spin
from false prophets and self-seeking politicians who have appointed themselves
naysayers to each and everything good the Okowa administration is entitled to
legitimately take credit for.
It is as such, most gratifying to report that
despite the lean purse of the State, the Okowa administration somehow managed
to construct and complete 55 road projects, inclusive of an impressive 113 kilometers
of concrete lined drains in its first year! As if determined by some abiding
article of faith in achieving the seemingly impossible, between June 2016 and
now, contracts for the construction of a further 29 roads have already been
awarded.
More specifically, whereas the Oreorokpe-Eku
section of the Effurun-Eku Road has, in the past one year, been fairly good,
certain portions of the Osubi-Oha-Oreorokpe section of the road has been
begging for urgent attention. One is thus glad to report that tremendous
rehabilitation work is currently taking place in the worst of all the failed
sections with the Delta State Direct Labour Agency having divided the
challenged sections into several parts and commenced simultaneous work on them
so as to make them pliable for road users this yuletide.
In a fashion reminiscent of the mass attack
style of squaring up to a multifaceted challenge, the agency has similarly
rehabilitated the Effurun Flyover section of the Effurun/Sapele and NPA/DSC
expressways, Uvwie LGA; the Old Sapele-Agbor Road, Abraka, Ethiope East LGA, as
well as the Ughelli-Asaba Highway by Otovwodo junction, Ughelli North LGA.
While driving from Warri to Asaba, enroute
Abraka, a few days ago, I found myself having to stop briefly at the Eku-Abraka
site because what I found going on there seemed more like fresh reconstruction
rather than rehabilitation. Barr. Alex Esiyoma, an impressed public affairs
analyst, who is from Ethiope East LGA and does his business in Warri, remarked
after watching the massive deployment of equipment, machines and human
resources: “There is still hope for Delta State; truly Okowa is working”.
Equally crucially, the conspicuous presence of
the Special Security Unit code-named, “Eagle Net” in particular has verifiably
discouraged armed robbers and kidnappers from the flashpoints they had de facto
appropriated across the state. Capitalizing on the failed portions which
naturally forced motorists to stop, kidnappers in time past had had a field
day. As we speak, incidences of such heinous crimes have nosedived across the
state.
While on my voyages, I noticed that the Okowa
administration has completed the Reconstruction/Expansion/Construction of Kefas
Road/Old Emede Road/Uzere Junction, Oleh in Isoko South LGA; Construction of
the Extension of Ikokogbe / Idumuizomor / Palace Road, Owa-Oyibu in Ika North
East LGA; Construction of Access Road to Awaritse Industrial Park, Obitugbo
(Phase) 1 in Warri North LGA; Rehabilitation of Roundabout at
Nnebisi/Okpanam/Anwai Roads and Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan Way Intersection,
Asaba (Section I); Construction of Ejinyere/Orodje Streets Orerokpe, Okpe L.G.A
Orerokpe, Reconstruction of Oteri Township Road Ughelli North LGA, amongst
others. To any unbiased eye, these feats are a testament to responsive
leadership calibrated by abiding passion and unwavering commitment to the
public good within the compass of a detribalized approach to governance.
Michael Tidi is Special Assistant on News
Media to Governor Okowa.
Comments
Post a Comment