By David Obes
Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa has pledged the state government collaboration with the Federal Government on the revamping of the Delta Steel Company, Ovwian Aladja in Udu Local Government Area of the State.
The state governor who was represented by his deputy, Barr. Kingsley Otuaro, made the pledge when he played host to the President and other executives of the Iron and Steel Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ISSSAN, at government house, Asaba.
According to him” “The subject of the Delta Steel complex which is moribund is a real cause of concern for us as a state, incidentally, it is a federal project, but all we can do as a state is to do our best to collaborate with partners in progress to put in the necessary request and pressure on the federal authority to have a consideration of revamping the Delta steel company”. The governor stated.
The governor noted that the state government in the past few weeks constituted a 3-Man Committee to look into what the state can do by way of collaborating and putting necessary pressure on government to ensure the revamping of the Delta Steel company, saying that it is one company if revamped, that will go a long way in complementing the SMART agenda of accelerating industrialisation.
He noted that, it is very heart touching that the Delta Steel Complex, Ovwian Aladja is moribund, and as a government that have promised Deltans, and is poised to deliver prosperity to them as encapsulated in our SMART mantras, it will do all within its powers to see to the revamping of the steel company.
He asserted that one of the components of the SMART agenda is to ensuring that it accelerate industrialisation amongs many others. Because goverment believe one of the many challenges of governance is to deal with the teeming youths of our various states that are unemployed.
His words; “If we are able to accelerate industrialisation, we will be able to take many more of our unemployed youths out of the street and that has its own multi plier effects on us as a state, it is going to put food on the table for those that are employed, it will also have effects on the security of lives and properties of people in the state. Because as a government, we have often told our people that it is when they are happy, that we would be happy”. He said.
Further, the governor said, “Your visit is a great source of encouragement and will undoubtedly spore us up to expedite actions on that which we have already started. When all that is done, all other auxiliary issues such as payment of wages and others will naturally follow when the company is revamped. We will ensure that we do all that is necessary and needful to revamping the Delta Steel company because going forward, we must get our people engaged, we must get our people committed to doing things with their hands that will provide for them livelihood”.
He asserted that it is the more reason why government we have deemed it fit to ensure as apart of its cardinal agenda to create wealth and provide as many as possible job opportunities for the teeming and unemployed youths of our state, saying, it is geared towards ensuring that unemployed youths are taking out of the street and get them meaningful engaged, as government believe it is the sure way to go.
Earlier, in his address, the President of Iron and Steel Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ISSSAN), Comrade Otori Maliki Sariu, said they are in the state to perform the annual industrial workshop which provides them the opportunity to brainstorm with stakeholders on the challenges and prospect of the steel industry in Nigeria.
Comrade Otori therefore appeal for the state government backing and support in the struggle to ensure that life in injected into DSC, saying that it is very sad that the Delta Steel Company which has suffered various policies and summersaults is in a prostrate state lying fallow for over six years.
According to him, the original idea for the public steel in Nigeria predated our post-cononial Nigeria till this present time, adding that policies inconsistency and lack of political will to drive the vision through crucibles of government and administrative landscape as well as endemic corruption has brought the nation to its present state.
