By Hon Friday Okoh
Politics has over the years evolved into an art which is crossed by science to give humanity an orderly scheme of engagement which is based on decency and rationality. This is the reason why political succession that once was violent in ancient times has become a civil activity that is carried out without much ado. Political power that was achieved through guns and bayonets in time of old is now achieved by words and gestures that hurt nobody. Unfortunately, in spite of the sanity that has been brought to politics in modern times, there are still irrational personalities who see politics as do or die and in their desperation throw caution to the wind, erode civility and breach sanity and order. The world still remembers Donald Trump who was like a maniac that needed to be confined to a mental asylum because of the way he went about political engagement in the United States of America. Trump shocked America and the world as he almost turned politics into war.
As Nigerians prepare for the next round of general elections in February and March, a local Donald Trump who is turning politics into war has emerged as the Delta State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the person of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege who is deploying blackmail, lies and threats which have left many Deltans wondering about the validity of his morality and education. Omo-Agege has become an anguished soul that is on a revenge mission against society. Omo-Agege’s lies make the ones told by Joseph Goebbels the Nazi propaganda chief look like child’s play. Omo-Agege has no regards for facts or statistics and he never thinks or crosschecks before talking. His says Delta State is owing 400 billion naira and that the State has received 4 trillion since 2015. Really? Where did he get these figures? And even if the figures are true, by mere assumption, is he blind to the monumental strides Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has achieved in Delta State thereby making him among Nigeria’s best three performing governors?
The above is why Omo-Agege and his APC in Delta State need to be educated on Governor Okowa’s unrivalled achievements in Delta State. Unlike Omo-Agege, Governor Okowa is a prudent manager of resources, an astute politician and thinker in a first class mode. Governor Okowa came into governance with the well-articulated and highly acclaimed SMART agenda which many development experts agreed is one of the most development oriented manifesto ever drafted in Nigeria. As Governor Okowa comes near the end of his tenure as Governor of Delta State, there are many indices to show that he is leaving behind a stronger, better and more prosperous Delta State, despite the overwhelming bad governance that Omo-Agege’s APC unleashed on Nigerians. Governor Okowa’s SMART agenda took cognizance of global reality in framing a development template for Delta State. In doing so, it sought to enhance human capital development, ensure peace and security and accelerate infrastructural development. The agenda took serious cognizance of the role of youths, women and ICT and without overtly saying it, did so much to leapfrog Delta State into fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of 2015 even if it was belated. The reason for this is to enable Delta State join the race for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Let Omo-Agege read the following which is drawn from a recent publication on Governor Okowa’s tenure of legacies. Governor Okowa is leaving unforgettable and imperishable legacies in the development of Delta State. Every sector of development received attention. Let us begin with health. Governor Okowa has renovated and upgraded 250 healthcare centres across the State. He has renovated and upgraded 65 hospitals and ensured the full accreditation of seven health training institutions in the State. He also expanded the number of training institutions offering nursing degree in Delta State. The State under his watch became first in Nigeria in terms of immunization coverage as it exceeded the national recommended target of 80%. The construction of lecture halls at the School of Midwifery in Sapele and the 80-bed ward at the Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH), Oghara are significant achievements in boosting healthcare delivery. The Delta State Contributory Healthcare Commission (DSCHC) which regulates the contributory health scheme has been described as the best in Nigeria. The Scheme has registered about 1.5 million people with 496 accredited healthcare facilities and 17 financial facilities for its operation. A highly methodical mind, Governor Okowa ensured the proper evaluation and classification of health facilities in Delta State into 485 primary healthcare centres, 269 private health facilities, 64 public secondary health facilities and three tertiary health facilities. The 821 health facilities efficiently submit their data on the web-based District Health Information System (DHIS) to boost healthcare services in the State. Governor Okowa’s administration also launched the Emergency Ambulance Service to provide the necessary support in the sector.
Under Governor Okowa, 142 health professionals were recruited for DELSUTH, Oghara, 155 for the Specialist Hospital, Asaba and 255 health professionals across the State. Over forty pharmacists were also recruited to boost healthcare services. Governor Okowa also ensured that an insurance scheme was secured for 2, 557 healthcare workers working in the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also built under Governor Okowa’s administration are the Advanced Diagnostic Centre at Owa-Alero, three Mother and Mother and Child Care Centres across the State and a Clinical building at DELSUTH, Oghara.
Governor Okowa is acutely aware of Nigeria’s unemployment crisis and so he tackled unemployment headlong in Delta State through a robust job and wealth creation strategy. Using six ministries, Governor Okowa has created 12, 000 entrepreneurs, 100, 000 direct jobs and over 1,000, 000 indirect jobs. The office of the Job Creation Officer has been very strategic in this regard. Some of the wealth creation schemes are: Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurship Programme (YAGEP), Skills Training and Entrepreneurship Programme (STEP), Production and Processing Support Programme (PPSP), Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Programmes, Special Programmes for Persons with Disabilities, Graduate Employment Enhancement Programme, Rural Youths Skills Acquisition Programme, Women Empowerment Skills Acquisition Programme, Information and Communications Technology Youth Empowerment, Girls Entrepreneurship and Skills Training Programme, etc. About N1 billion has also been disbursed to 596 cooperative societies in the State to support businesses.
Governor Okowa’s job and wealth creation progamme which is second to none in Nigeria has yielded dividends in increasing economic activities, youth engagements in productive ventures especially agro-preneurship, ensured prosperity and improved the State’s GDP and human development index. The setting up of the Delta State Investment Development Agency (DIDA) has in no small way boosted the State’s economy. The State is on a strong footing economically.
Governor Okowa’s footprints in the education sector are indelible. In his bid to provide functional education, he set up the Ministry of Technical Education to promote technical and vocational education among youths in the State to turn them into entrepreneurs, wealth creators and employers of labour. In this sector, 19 technical colleges were approved to be built across the State and 9 have been completed to world-class standard. He created three more universities to increase the number of universities owned by Delta State to four which is the highest by any state government in Nigeria. He also ensured the payment of bursary to over 17, 000 students of Delta State across Nigeria. Delta State under Governor Okowa has always paid its counterpart funding for UBEC fund. So far, over 140, 000 students’ furniture and 22, 440 for teachers have been distributed. A Teachers’ Professional Development Centre has also been established to train and retrain teachers. Governor Okowa also upgraded over 80% of public schools in Delta State and established additional 79 schools. This has sustained Delta State’s advantage in education.
Governor Okowa’s giant strides in infrastructure are visible in his urban and rural development programmes and projects. Significant among these is the Asaba International Airport which he completed and upgraded to international standard with modern state of the art facilities. The airport which operates day and night can accommodate the biggest aircraft in the world. Over 883 roads covering 1, 900 kilometers have been completed. It must be put on record that only federal roads are bad in Delta State and that but for the Federal Government’s ban on State’s repair of federal roads, Governor Okowa would have rehabilitated the bad federal roads. Also constructed are 109179.66 meters of drainage channels. Six bridges have been completed with 15 under various stages of construction. A unique flyover has been completed at Koka Junction in Asaba waiting for commissioning.
The ultra-modern and world-class Stephen Keshi Stadium completed by Governor Okowa is another great feat in sports and infrastructure development. Sports enthusiasts agree that it is the first of its kind in Africa. The stadium hosted this year’s National Sports Festival to great delight and acclaim. The construction of water scheme in riverine communities is another plus for Governor Okowa. Also recorded under his administration is the film village and Leisure Park at Ugbolu in Oshimili North LGA. There is also the “Smart Delta Food Arena” across Asaba, the State capital. He built a 720-capacity hostel at the NYSC orientation camp at Iselle-Uku. There are also Agro-industrial parks at Aboh and Ogwashi-Uku.
Governor Okowa’s energy programme has kindled hope for the leapfrogging of every sector of private and public life in Delta State. Through the Independent Power Project (IPP) the Asaba Capital Territory and environs now enjoy 24-hour uninterrupted power supply. The effect of this has been absolutely salutary for business as well as industrial and agricultural activities. The attendant economic transformation is already yielding massive dividends. The focus on peace and security has also yielded maximum benefit as the State is one of the most peaceful in Nigeria.
Governor Okowa also bequeathed to Delta State the most modern public building in Nigeria which is the State Secretariat complex named Professor Joseph Chike Edozien Secretariat in Asaba. In addition to this is the construction of the Traditional Rulers’ Council Secretariat also in Asaba.
What has become incontrovertible in Delta State is the rapid integration of the rural and the urban. Governor Okowa’s well thought out development agenda has succeeded in transforming Delta State. What the State has experienced is a holistic all-round development and it has become a case study for real development indices. As part of his vision for holistic development, Governor Okowa ensured the granting of autonomy to local government councils. Knowing that their monthly allocation can’t take them far, he began giving the local government councils N400 million monthly to support their development aspirations. It should also be emphasized that despite having one of the largest workforce in Nigeria, Delta State under Governor Okowa has consistently paid workers salaries up to date. Those opposition elements who have been asking what Governor Okowa has done with Delta State money actually know that he has done well for Delta. To them, politics should be played dirty. But Governor Okowa is moving on and Delta State is the better for it. Governor Okowa will fully consolidate his achievements in Delta State in the next few months before handing over in May. History will certainly judge him kindly. Let Omo-Agege read this and get educated about Governor Okowa’s legacies.
