By Onome Oghenetega
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has signed six bills including the Warri/Uvwie and Environs Special Area Development Agency bill into law.
The bills signed into law are Delta State Urban Water Corporation, Small Town Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, The Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, The State Water Sector Regulatory Commission; Bill to Regulate the Registration, Establishment, Operations, Conduct, Monitoring and Inspection of Private Health Care Facilities in Delta State and other matters Incidental thereto and Bill to Amend Delta State Capital Territory Development Agency.
Others are the bills to provide for the Audit of Public Accounts of the state Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Local Governments and other Matters Connected therewith; and the Bill to Establish the Customary Courts and to provide for the Composition and Appointment of Chairman and Members, Structure and Administration, Jurisdiction and other Matters Connected thereto.
Governor Okowa while signing the bills stated that there was need for a stronger cooperation of all arms of government to build a better and stronger Delta State.
He observed that it was a collective responsibility for all Deltans to contribute towards building a virile state that will be the pride of all.
Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori who was accompanied by his Deputy, Rt. Hon. Friday Osanebi and other principal officers of the legislature, presented the bills to the governor.
According to the Governor, “The Warri/Uvwie and environs development agency law was initiated following the successes recorded with the Delta State Capital Territory Development Agency.
“The law was borne out of the positive impact we have made in the development of the state capital using the Capital Territory Development Agency; in 2015, we saw the need for a special agency to handle the development of the capital territory, three years after, we have seen the positive impact this has made in Asaba and its environs.
“I believe that from the beginning of my second tenure, we will pay special attention to the development of Warri, Uvwie and environs as I promised the people; this agency will ensure the maintenance of existing infrastructure and improvement of general infrastructure in the area.”
The governor commended the Delta State House of Assembly for being great partners in his administration’s efforts to develop the state, took time to explain the importance of the bills that were signed into law.
Okowa, however, commended the Delta State House of Assembly “for spending time to do your job thoroughly; you have done a lot to impact on our people, and we will continue to need the cooperation of the House of Assembly to develop our state; as we work and partner with the rest of the state and the Judiciary, we have course to smile as we build the Delta of our dreams, a stronger Delta State.”
Assembly Speaker, Oborevwori while presenting the bills to the governor for assent, praised the Okowa-led administration for prioritizing the interest of Deltans, saying that the bills passed through all the rigors of lawmaking before being passed for the governor’s assent.
