By Comr. Edema Collins Oritsetimeyin
Your Excellency, this will be my first open letter to you since you assumed the position of the first citizen of Delta State in 2015.
Sir, it may interest you to know that despite having reasons to do such in the past on several occasions (concerning some critical issues), I have always restrained myself because I see you first as an alumnus of my alma Mata-Nigeria’s Premier University- University of Ibadan.
Your Excellency, I cannot continue to allow primordial sentiments cloud my sense of judgement because “to think straight is the fount of knowledge”
Your Excellency, it has become imperative to write you this open letter because on comparative analysis your counterpart, and fellow alumnus the Executive Governor of Edo State-Mr. Godwin Obaseki has performed excellently well(despite his poor FAAC allocation) where you have failed woefully despite the fact that you are a Medical Doctor, and has a better revenue than himself.
Sir, while your Edo State counterpart has successfully built two testing centres, and several isolation centres, you are yet to have fully functional isolation centers in the three Senatorial Districts of Delta State.
It is on record that the incident at Gifted Hands Clinic and Maternity at Ugbori/’Ekurede Itsekiri Warri led to the arrest of the Ugbori Youth Chairman despite the unprofessional manner with which the Delta State Government handled the Isolation of the “primary contacts” of the Deceased Delta State second COVID-19 case.
On Saturday April 18, 2020, the Delta State Government started distributing the much talked about Palliative for vulnerable and aged people in our midst.
Sir, it was disheartening seeing pictures of aged women in crowded fields or town halls across the state scampering for a mere basket of rice, basket of beans, and a basket of garri at best.
Pictorial evidence attests to the fact that some people got only a cup of rice, beans, or garri as the case may be.
Your Excellency, most annoying is the fact that in most places the distribution of the food items made a mess of the social DISTANCING campaign being championed by your government.
Your Excellency, the distribution of the Delta State COVID-19 palliative aside making a mockery of social DISTANCING actually display a show of shame and lack of respect for the elderly in most instances which is alien to our culture.
Your Excellency, it will also interest you to know that villages such as Uwakaeno, Jaluwa, Aja-osolo, etc in Warri South L.G.A are allegedly not reached by your Government despite financial support from both the private and public sector notably from the member Representing Warri Federal Constituency- Hon. (‘Chief)’ Thomas Ereyitomi.
Your Excellency, I believe there are more dignified ways of sharing these food items than what we just witnessed in most parts of Delta State where our aged parents and poor masses were subjected to a process reminiscence of a “Bambialla” if you decide to tap into the vast intellectual property at your disposal.
Sir, as a medical doctor that was nurtured in Nigeria’s Premier Ivory Tower whose motto is “Recte Sapere Fons” (To think straight is the fount of knowledge), I wonder why it is so difficult for our dear state to have her own COVID-19 testing Centre despite being the state with the highest FAAC allocation and 13% derivation fund.
Your Excellency, your public rating has dropped significantly during this period despite several praise singers within your ranks.
It is expected that as a medical doctor this issue will be one that will single you out amongst Governors in Nigeria but the reverse is the case.
Finally, I am miffed that your praise singers see using Tax Payers money for the distribution of palliatives as a political tool to score cheap political point for your party (with the slogan-“Okowa Cares”) when the likes of Chief Emmanuel Oritsejolomisan Uduaghan (Alema of Warri Kingdom) has single handedly distributed food items across all tribes cum Kingdom in Delta State.
God Bless Delta State.
Comr. Edema Collins Oritsetimeyin
President,’ National Association of Itsekiri Graduates (NAIG)
