By ABEL JOHNGOLD ORHERUATA
Deputy President of The Senate and Delta State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has stated that his aspiration was beyond the ordinary quest for power, rather, it is a movement to liberate, rebuild and reinvigorate the State, which he said ought to be the leading light of the Niger Delta region, and indeed, Nigeria.
Omo-Agege stated this while sharing his policy document that would transform into a vibrant, equitable and prosperous state, based on core moral values of service, hard work, and shared sacrifice at a World Press Conference held at the APC Campaign Organisation office in Asaba yesterday.
While noting that the Delta State of his dreams is one where everyone has the opportunity to achieve his or her full potential, the DSP said ” I am certainly concerned that our dear State has been left behind on key development indices despite the huge sums of money that flow into the State from the Federation Account and 13 percent derivation along with internally generated revenue by way of the various taxes and rates that our hard-working people pay.
“By the records of the Debt Management Office, Delta State also has the second-highest debt portfolio in the country. This is certainly unacceptable. Ours is, therefore, a movement to restore and revive a State that had been misgoverned and rapaciously pillaged by those whom we had entrusted with leadership”.
Describing his EDGE agenda as the embodiment of the hopes and aspirations of all Deltans at the official flagging off of his campaigns, Omo-Agege who has been predicted to win the Delta 2023 governorship election said the manifesto his Vision and Mission he captured EDGE which breaks down as: E is for Employment and Empowerment; D for Development (Economic, Infrastructural and Industrial); G for Good Governance, and E for Enduring Peace and Security.
Also describing Delta State under Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as one of the few places left in the 21st century where life remains “nasty, brutish and short”, the APC Governorship candidate said “I entered this race because I am deeply dissatisfied with the state of affairs in Delta State. This event, therefore, marks the beginning of a historic journey, which I have committed into the hands of the Almighty God for direction, strength, guidance and wisdom. It is a journey for the good of the generality of the people of Delta State”.
According to Omo-Agege, “the offer of PDP in the 2023 gubernatorial elections in the person of Rt. Hon. Sheriff Francis Oborevwori is a bad one for Delta State, because it exemplifies incompetence, bad judgment and everything that went wrong in the past seven years”.
The DSP maintained that “Oborevwori would represent a third term for a failed governor who ran out of ideas to develop the state. We call on all Deltans and men of goodwill to reject this imposition by Governor Okowa. Delta State belongs to all Deltans, and we must all join hands to take it back.
“Delta State deserves better. We must reject leaders who will not be independent of Dr Ifeanyi Okowa and the cabal that brought us to this sorry pass. For Deltans to get out of these problems and return to a path of economic prosperity, there must be change that offers progress beyond mere promises. With my record of public service, my candidacy represents and offers that change.
“An objective assessment of every village, town, city, and local government area in the state, including the riverine areas, would come to the sad conclusion that the state is lagging behind in every index of socio-economic development and economic prosperity.
“Okowa’s government alone has swallowed up well over N2.8 trillion in seven years. We are all Deltans here. Do you see anything on ground that is commensurate with that receipt”?
“There is poverty and profound infrastructural dilapidation from Asaba to Warri and environs, Ughelli to Udu, Sapele to Effurun, Koko to Oghara, Agbor to Ukwani, Ndokwa to Abraka, and other areas of the State. The PDP government has abandoned the riverine areas of the State to their own devices. When compared to other states in the Niger Delta with similar FAAC and IGR revenues, Delta is beset by poor or non existent infrastructure. Even the few projects that exist are poorly executed. The net effect is that the state looks like a giant junkyard. Most of the roads and structures purportedly executed by the Okowa government in the last seven years have failed and, in many instances, outrightly collapsed.
“Many such failed projects that litter the state are being recycled and re-awarded to cronies without a visionary and credible plan for sustainable infrastructural development. Recent examples include the back to back collapse and fire in sections of the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba, that for the grace of God, could have killed several Deltans; the dilapidated and failing Effurun roundabout flyover, the derelict Warri township stadium and scores of road projects across the State, just to mention but a few.
The APC candidate stated that “The handpicked PDP candidate Rt. Hon. Sheriff Francis Oborevwori is a mere clone of Okowa, because like his master, his middle name is incompetence. By his background, or the lack thereof; and public record, or the lack thereof, the PDP candidate would be a human disaster in Government House. His nomination, championed by an inept and corrupt PDP administration, is an insult to the sensibilities of Deltans. Delta State should not leave its destiny in the hands of a man who has no mind of his own and will continue to be Okowa’s stooge even as governor.
“To kick start the real development of the state, our administration will focus on massive industrialisation through agricultural and integrated rural development, facilitating the establishment of food processing industries, industrial estates, transportation, including land, air, sea, and marine; promote free and compulsory basic education, free primary health care, development and expansion of educational opportunities for Deltans from primary to tertiary level, urban renewal and regeneration that will focus primarily on cities like Asaba, Warri, Ughelli, Sapele, Agbor, Kwale and the riverine areas of the State, including Burutu, Oleh, Ozoro and others.
He said his APC Government in 2023 plans to revive the ports in Warri, Koko and Burutu to boost the economic transformation of Delta State will be better enhanced by an APC-led federal government. We will be able to attract other federal projects and influence policies favorable to Delta State in an APC led federal government with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Commander-in-Chief. Therefore, we call on all Deltans to vote massively for Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as well as all other APC candidates across board.
“Our goal is to build a vibrant, well governed, equitable, and prosperous Delta State that puts our people first. Deltans deserve better. Enough is enough”!