Innocent Ojefia Blog

The Governor of Delta State, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa, has said that financial autonomy of the Judicial and Legislative Arms of government were necessary as it would engender speedy and effective service delivery to the people. Okowa stated this at a thanksgiving service at Emmanuel The Saviour Catholic Church, Asaba, to usher in the 2019/2020 Legal Year in Delta. He said that there was the need for greater partnership among the three arms of government to ensure good govervance and provide ddesirous autonomy for all the arms. “I believe that when people work together they do not have any fear; we are able to discuss our problems together and to share common solutions, because either elected or appointed, our goal is to serve the people. “Together in partnership, we will be able to offer the best to our people, because no matter what you do, if it is not right with the Judiciary, it cannot be right with the common man and we believe that it is very pressing for t...

In a polarized electorate, attitudes about the severity of Trump's actions broke strongly along partisan lines, with Democrats three times as likely to find the conversation a very or somewhat serious problem -- 91% of Democrats compared with 32% of Republicans. Democrats also were even more likely to have the most intense feelings, with nearly 3 in 4, about 72%, saying they thought the president's comments were a very serious problem, compared to 41% of Independents. Republicans were less intense in their skepticism about the seriousness of the problem than Democrats were in their conviction it was a problem -- 37% of Republicans said it wasn't serious at all, but 13% of Republicans responded that it was a very serious problem compared to only 2% of Democrats who said the president's actions related to Ukraine were not a problem at all. Still, Trump's actions during the phone conversation were not surprising to a large majority of Americans. About 83% re...

The Governor of Delta, Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa, has urged political office holders to be committed to his administration's Stronger Delta agenda. The governor made the call on Tuesday while swearing in a Special Adviser, Chief Emuobo Gbagi and inauguration of five boards of different parastatals and agencies in Asaba. He said that all government functionaries should "sit up and get running, because there is a lot to be done".   According to Iowa,  I see you appointees as a vehicle for rendering of selfless service to Deltans and not as opportunity to enrich yourselves or for ego trip. “You (political appointees) must hold the position in trust for the people; it is not about eye service to the Governor but, about the impact that you will make in the life of the people. ”We are to render service to the people, work with the people, communicate with the grassroots, and bring development to them; only then would we have performed as a government,...

It was gathered that Tinubu had once approached the Vice President to ask if he was nursing any presidential ambition to which the latter replied in the negative. That all is not well with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is not news, but the new development is the connection of his godfather and political benefactor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to the whole crisis. Osinbajo, who is reportedly having a running battle with the Aso Villa cabal is also said not to be in the good book of Tinubu over his presidential ambition. It was gathered that Tinubu had once approached the Vice President to ask if he was nursing any presidential ambition to which the latter replied in the negative. Tinubu was said to have come across a video recording of a directive by Osinbajo to his political associates on his plan to start his campaign for his presidential ambition almost two years into the tenure of his boss. The development was said to have angered Tinubu who noted that the Vice ...

The Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa has urged political office holders to serve the people with their positions, saying they are accountable to the electorate. The governor made the call at a thanksgiving service of Evangelist Michael Diden, General Overseer, Mega Praise Church of Christ International, Sapele, on Sunday. Diden is Chairman, Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC). Okowa said that positions were to be used to serve God through rendering selfless service to the people. The Thanksgiving was attended by the Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege; National Assembly members, Speaker, Delta House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori and other top government functionaries. “In any position we find ourselves is by the grace of God; if you have the privilege of holding a position, try to work for the people; wherever you do, remember there is God above who made your position possible,” the governor said. Congratu...

The Governor of Delta State, Senator (Dr.)  Ifeanyi Okowa has called on Christians to dedicate their lives to serving God. He made the call on Saturday at the dedication of St. John's Anglican Church and a Vicarage at Ibabu, Ndokwa West Local Government Area of the state.  The church was built by Sir Monday Onyeme, Chairman,  Delta State Board of Internal Revenue. According to the governor, "building for the Lord is the best gift you can give when God blesses you. “Building physical structures for the Lord is good, but, the greatest gift you can give  is what you do in your heart; my prayer is that the prayers said in this place will uplift the people.   “Christians must continue to pray for the state and Nigeria, no matter the challenge, it is not time to grumble, it is time to pray for God to turn things around for our nation; we will continue to do more roads.” He commended Sir Onyeme for donating such edifice to the Church assur...

It has been over 45 days since a presidential candidate in Nigeria’s 2019 election, Omoyele Sowore, has been detained without bail by state agents; and one would have thought that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the National Leader of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), could learn from recent events and begin to toe the path of honour in his pursuit for more power.   In the piece, “I Pity Tinubu”, where I had berated President Muhammadu Buhari during his first  tenure for alienating the former Lagos Governor, I asserted that, “if dynamic opposition is the life-wire of a democracy, it is very fitting then to name him (Tinubu) the saviour of Nigeria’s current democratic journey.” Yet, the history of that journey would be incomplete without a defining chapter on Omoyele Sowore. Backed by his revolutionary newspaper, Sahara Reporters, Sowore was a key component in the vanguard of the opposition movement that not only catapulted Tinubu to the helm, but also instrumental i...

The Governor of Delta State, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa, has urged his rival in the March 9 gubernatorial election, Chief Great Ogboru of the All Progressive Congress (APC), to join his administration in building a stronger state. He made the call on Friday at an inter-denominational thanksgiving service shortly after the reaffirmation of his electoral victory by the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, which sat in Asaba. “I appeal to my brother, Ogboru, that the time has come to stop fighting; it is time to partner together to do the best that we can for our people. ``I appeal that enough is enough; it is time to build Delta State together for the good of our people. “I ask for the hands of the opposition, because Delta State is for all of us; we cannot do it alone and I want to thank our supporters and all Deltans for praying for us. ``We require the assistance of all in prayer and inhuman partnership, and we must continue to pra...

The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Asab on Thursday upheld the victory of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of the Peoples Democratic Party. Great Ogboru of the All Progressives Congress had filed a petition against Okowa in the March 9 the governorship election in the State. Ogboru and his party, APC, challenged the declaration of Okowa by INEC as the winner of the March 9 the governorship election in Delta State The tribunal said that it was not only the responsibilities of petitioners to tender documents but also to prove that the alleged irregularities in the election substantially affected the outcome of the election. The tribunal said that the petitioners failed to prove that the respondents were not validly elected by majority of lawful votes. “The petitioner failed to prove the allegation of non-compliance, non-accreditation, over voting and corrupt practices that would warrant the tribunal to nullify the election,“ he said. The Tribunal, who said that...