... Our Govt Will Make Healthcare, Education Accessible & Affordable – Omo-Agege
Deputy President of the Senate and the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship candidate in Delta State, Obarisi Ovie Omo-Agege, says he will make quality healthcare and education accessible, and affordable to Deltans if elected as the next governor of the state.
He also promised to invest in security architecture to ensure adequate security of lives and properties in the state and make the state investment-friendly to attract businesses which in turn create jobs for teaming unemployed youths in the state.
Omo-Agege gave the assurance on Monday during a Town Hall meeting with the Private School Owners of Nigeria (PSON), and Members of various healthcare associations in Delta State.
Addressing the school owners in Ekpan, Uvwie local government area of the state, the lawmaker representing the Delta Central Senatorial District said that investment in education was very important adding that it was the bedrock of development.
Omo-Agege noted that a country was as good as the product of her education and assured that he would address the needs of the private school owners when he emerged as governor.
The APC Governorship candidate decried the hardship retirees had gone through over the years in the state noting that some had died without getting their gratuities and promising to address the anomalies.
He expressed displeasure over the level of underdevelopment in Warri and pledged to embark on mass urban renewal in the Warri metropolis.
“Unemployment is key to us and we have it in our blueprint.
“We will dredge the Warri River to allow vessels to navigate into our ports and by implication create jobs for our people.
“We will also ensure multinationals operating in Delta relocate their headquarters to the state,” he said.
Omo-Agege urged the people to vote for all the APC candidates in the forthcoming general elections.
Earlier, PSON bemoaned the exorbitant enrolment levies, license renewal and other taxes being paid to the state government.
They decried being exploited by the state government despite their contribution to addressing unemployment in the state.
The school owners consequently urged senator Omo-Agege to address the challenges when he emerged as governor of the state.
Mr Lucky Ovwigho who presented an address on behalf of the PSON said that the group meticulously examined all the political candidates vying for the various political offices in the state and made its choice.
According to him, among all the gubernatorial candidates in Delta, senator Omo-Agege was the most qualified.
“He has the zeal and feeling of the people of Delta to our much-craved political eldorado, economic freedom, empowerment, and job creation that have been elusive over the years.
“We have longed for an egalitarian society, a state of our own, where equity, fairness and justice shall be the symbol of the citizens and government, irrespective of origin or zonal backgrounds.
“Sir, we are highly endeared to the capacity, personality and proven track records of your stewardship to the people of Delta Central in particular, Delta and Nigeria in general.
“You have indeed brought light to your people through your qualitative and quantitative representation which we tagged the first of its kind
“To this end sir, PSON is prepared to deliver on your mandate by involving all our executive members, private school owners, teaching and non-teaching staff, our esteemed parents and everyone on the street of Delta, “
he assured.
Ovwigho, however, listed some of the group’s needs to include; a reduction in the schools’ yearly renewal fees, provision of grants and others.
The APC campaign train thereafter moved to Effurun where they held another town hall meeting with the Medical Associations in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area.
Addressing the healthcare workers, Omo-Agege said that healthcare delivery should be a right for everyone, not a privilege.
The lawmaker while assuring adequate training and retraining of healthcare workers also promised to upgrade the existing healthcare facilities and also built first-class health facilities in each of the senatorial districts.
Responding to questions from the health workers, Omo-Agege said that he would have a quarterly interactive session with the health workers to discuss ways to move the sector forward.
The Governorship candidate said that he would make the needed investment in public healthcare to reduce the overburden in the tertiary healthcare system.
He also said that his administration would ensure Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the healthcare management system to reduce the child mortality rate.
Speaking further, Omo-Agege said that he would partner with the Local Government authority to strengthen primary healthcare in the state.
He also said that his government would ensure a robust and effective working relationship between the healthcare workers and security agencies in the state to ensure effective service delivery.
Various health workers who spoke at the meeting charged Omo-Agege to ensure that he restores sanity to the employment and promotion of health workers, noting that a situation where ethnic consideration is placed above competence will not promote quality healthcare delivery in the state.
Among the Medical Associations were: Medical and Dental Consultant Association of Nigeria; Association of Resident Doctors (DELSU) branch; Association of National Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, others were: the Association of Nurses and Midwifery (DELSU) branch, Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria and Pharmacy Society of Nigeria.
Among the campaign team of the APC were: Elder Godsday Orubebe, former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and Director-General, Delta APC Campaign Organisations, Dr Veronica Ogbuagu, former Commissioner for Education in Delta and others.
