Governor Okowa Has Failed Deltans, Says Niger Delta Activist

By Oguns Sammy (Warri)

Niger Delta Activist, Comrade (Amb) Derrick Oritsematosan Agberen, has said Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has failed the state because he did not keep to electoral promises he made over seven years ago.

Activist Agberen stated this over the weekend in an interview with newsmen in Warri.

He said although Governor Okowa nearly got it right by establishing entrepreneural skill acquisition programmes, he did not keep to his electoral campaign promises of revamping Nigeria Ports Authority(NPA) Warri, Delta Steel Company (Now Premium Steel Company), Ovwian Aladja, just as he said Governor Okowa failed to achieve the vision of Independent Power Plant l(IPP) in Oghara which he said has allegedly gulped 23.2 billion naira.

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Comrade( Amb) Agberen used the medium to call on Deltans ahead of 2023 general elections to be careful in their choice of candidates and vote for credible leaders just as he cautioned against the recycling of the same set of leaders who have ruled and not able to deliver good governance over the years, saying that is responsible for the nation’s retarded growth and development.

He admonished Deltans to shun ethnicity, self interest and favouritism and rally round themselves to choose a credible leader to pilot the state.

He said: “l call on all indigenes of Delta State within and Diaspora to decide who governs them, come 2023. It should not be a matter of ethnicity, self interest, favouritism or party wise”.

Comrade Amb Agberen frowned at a situation where leadership is based on godfatherism thereby denying those who ought to govern and put smiles on the people’s face.

According to him, Deltans should be able to vote for a person who can establish industries to employ teaming youths (graduates) as that will reduce not only crime in the state but the cost of foodstuffs.

He said that no state can progress if its politics are more profitable than its industries, adding that the absence of industries in Delta State is one of the major reasons youths are pushed to the extreme and left with no opportunities to display their potentials.

He said many youths in the state are not able to ultilise their talents positively due to lack of industries in the state, just as he said leadership failure has led to chaos, disorder among others as the youths now look for money without a job; as hard work is no longer in the watchwords of youths because of the massive corruption in government.

“The Delta State Government is yet to create enabling environment for her youths to live their dreams,” he opined.

Comrade Amb Agberen also condemned the way the Delta State House of Assembly approves loans already amount in to #12b adding, such has put the state into more debt.

”The recent N12 billion naira approved by the Delta State House of Assembly is comdenmable and should not repeat itself,” he added.

He said such debt has put the state in penury just as the level of corruption in the state in particular and Nigeria in general has impoverished the people.

Comrade (Amb) Agberen said such loan at this last moment has no effect on the people but could go into politicians’ private pockets as time is too short to execute meaningful projects with such amount of money.

He said: “Members of DTHA do not consider the effects of such loans on the people, which is bad.”