Encourage Local Food Production In Place Of Palliatives – Asagba

By Ambrose Ologide

A former Secretary General of Urhobo Progress Union (UPU)World wide, Okakuro ( Chief ) Peter Asagba has called on government to encourage local food production in place of provision of palliatives.

The highly esteemed Okpe chief who is the Duke of Amukpe District in Okpe Kingdom, made the call in an exclusive media chat with our correspondent on the state of Nigeria in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area on Monday, 22nd July, 2024 .

Asagba who is the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Casa Depedro Hotels, along Refinery Road, Effurun, noted that government authorities do not know the population strength of the country for which the palliatives were shared.

“If you give a family of five, a half bag of rice, this will not sustain them for a month.

“Experience has shown that the palliatives were shared among the politicians themselves,” he alleged.

He therefore called on government to encourage local food production as it was done in the first republic, as he expressed optimism that this will make food available for the masses.

“The Federal Government should embark on infrastructural developments and provision of security,” he advised.

Okakuro Asagba also gave the Federal Government a knock on the deplorable state of most federal roads particularly the Sapele/ Benin Road, Abraka / Agbor Road among others as he lamented that it was a nightmare driving through the said roads .

Asagba said that he was aware that the Federal Government was rehabilitating the Sapele/ Benin Road but he doubted if the project will be completed in the next ten years going by the snail speed of work on it

He therefore called on the Federal Road Maintenance Agency ( FERMA ) to as a matter of urgency embark on rehabilitation of the said deplorable roads.

Asagba also expressed disappointment over the delay in the rehabilitation of the Ughelli/ Asaba Road project which he said was started by former Governor James Ibori and handled by former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan and former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for twenty four years without completion.

He however commended Governor Sheriff Francis Oborevwori for the ongoing flyover projects and drainage construction, as he noted that completion of the flyover projects will beautify Effurun and Warri areas .

He however stated that some internal roads in Delta State needed urgent attention from the Delta State Direct Labour Agency ( DLA).

He also appealed for the completion of the drainage system on Refinery Road, Effurun to the Chevron River.

Asagba called for credible elections both at the Federal, state and local government levels.

He bitterly observed that local government council elections were won by ruling political parties in the state.

Asagba therefore suggested that the Independent Electoral Commission ( INEC) should be conducting local government council elections in the country.

The highly respected Okpe chief also took a swipe at the Federal Government on the poor railway transportation in Nigeria.

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He noted that a railway was linked from Warri to Itakpe but not linked to Abuja.

He therefore suggested that railway system should be linked from the various state headquarters to Abuja and Lagos.”

“A return ticket from Warri to Abuja or Lagos on flight is now three hundred thousand naira .

“Those who can afford it, prefer taking flight because they are afraid of the bad roads,” he added.

On the proposed planned national protest, he reasoned that protest was an indication that all was not well.

“Most Advisers are sycophants who do not tell their principals the truth about the reality of the situation.

“They are asking that Nigerians should make sacrifice while they do not sacrifice themselves.

“They proposed to buy expensive jets and build expensive houses for themselves.

“President Tinubu, Falana and others staged protests during their time and nobody stopped or prevented them.

“If they are afraid that the protest may be hijacked by hoodlums, then the protesters should be given police protection” he added.