As Delta State sets to celebrate it’s 26th anniversary, the State government has said it will not be rolling out the drums this year in view of the economic mood of the nation.
The Chief Press Secretary to Delta State Governor, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, Mr. Charles Anigwu who revealed this at a press briefing in Asaba yesterday noted that in spite of the huge successes recorded as a state within this 26 years, the recession that is ravaging the country will not permit for frivolous spendings.
Aniagwu stressed that the state government would rather channel such fund towards uplifting the life of Deltans.
He said Governor Okowa is building on the foundation laid by the administrations of James Ibori and Emmnauel Uduaghan.
“We are sustaining the mother and child healthcare programme, the aged are also being taken care of , we just introduced the contributory health insurance programme , a number of hospitals are being revamped , we are hoping that our revenue improves , so that we can start addressing some other challenges in the state,” Aniagwu said.
While noting that Deltans have every reason to celebrate, Aniagwu said, “as a state created 26 years ago, our leaders and indeed, all Deltans have cause to celebrate because the state has recorded huge socio- economic and political transformation within the period. We may not have been able to develop to a level we anticipated, but today we have been able to record considerable number of milestones that we can be proud of as a state in various areas of development”.
He said successive and present administration in the state have been able to focus on construction and maintenance of the vital infrastructure like roads , bridges and drains.
Specifically , Mr. Aniagwu pointed out that the Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa’s administration since assuming office has embarked on the construction of more than 98 roads , covering a distance of over 612 kilometers , realizing that road development and construction is the backbone for the achievement of the SMART agenda .
These roads, he pointed out, “are intended to link up our various communities to enhance social- economic development in the state. The movement of farm produce from one locality to another has been enhanced with the provision of motor able roads linking our communities.”
“The unprecedented growth in our state capital as witnessed in recent times is indicative of the fact that the dividend of democracy is gradually trickling down to the masses” , he opined, adding “ today the state capital is growing at a phenomenonal speed, we have been able to add a level of momentum , the fact is that the state capital has moved away from a glorified local government headquarters to something that looks more like an urban center”, he added.
He said Asaba , being the state capital has been enjoying unprecedented level of peace, as a result of the conscious efforts of our past and present leaders of the state. You will agree with me that the rapid socio-economic development of asaba, especially the invasion of Nollywood actors into Asaba is as a result of the peaceful nature and environment of the fast growing city.
In the area of education , Mr. Aniagwu explained that, “we are still registering a level of progress as the state is paying more attention to vocational training for our students to reduce the incidence of unemployable graduates . The state is focusing on graduating students who can not only employ themselves but graduates who can become employers of labour” .
Mr. Aniagwu said , “ It is on record that the state government has repositioned the technical and vocational schools in the state by investing huge resources to ensure that they become center of excellence, for example, His Excellency Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa approved the upgrade of infrastructure and equipment in Agbor, Ofagbe and Sapele technical colleges as well as the Issele-uku, Ogor and Utagba-Ogbe technical colleges”.
According to him, a lot of policy initiatives have also been directed at the tertiary institutes as the Delta State University and the state polytechnics have received various degrees of attention from the government in the recent times in terms of upgrade of facilities and funding.
He further stated that the state has also achieved a lot in the areas of Healthcare , Agriculture , Transport, culture and tourism and many more.
He pointed out that “ As a state government we are not owning our workers, the state government has taken steps to pay the pensioners.
