By: Dr Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe

The news is all over social media and will soon hit headlines in the print media that Governor Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, a medical doctor and incumbent governor of Delta State, will soon provide thousands of jobs through the construction of a world class hospital at Agbor, Delta State, under the SMART AGENDA.

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state.

The governor hosted a team of investors in the health sector from South Africa in a preliminary stakeholders meeting to commence a Build, Operate and Transfer  (BOT) Public-private partnership.

For real, Okowa may mean well for Deltans in this deal but will it not be most ideal for him to first equip our State hospitals spread across some local government areas in the state before capping it up with a world class hospital? Or what do you think?

The reality on ground is that hospitals and health centres in Delta are currently swallowed up by weeds and are now dwelling places for reptiles. What is Okowa’s blueprint for revamping the health sector?

It is no hidden fact that most hospitals in Delta State are under lock and keys such that Gov Okowa being a medical doctor ought to tour the hospitals and health centres with a view to setting up an effective result oriented  hospital management board, fund the agency to revive, renovate, staff and fund their operations.

But alas, Okowa prefer to build a world class hospital for the aristocratic class at a time our hospitals have no PANADOL in the pharmacy departments.

I am in bewilderment as to the foresight of Dr Okowa in hospital management to justify his priority for a world class hospital that will only care for the medical needs of high and mighty in the society while majority of children, pregnant women, aged citizens and majority of Deltans do not have access to quality medical care.

Hospitals in Delta at the moment are mere consulting clinics and in most cases the medical doctors and qualified nurses are not available to attend to patients.

Will it not be more ideal and reasonable for Gov Okowa to first make our hospitals function maximally so as to provide basic health services for our people before engaging in this WHITE elephant project that will at the end of the day sap our lean financial resources?

Corpses are littered on bare floors in our hospitals and health centres without functional mortuary, no solutions at sight and yet Gov Okowa want to first build world class hospital for the rich in Nigeria. What a clueless governor!

Delta State treasury is already sucked dry by the rogue cabals of the ruling PDP in the state and the governor is still working round the clock to deepen our poverty, pains and agony. EFCC crack team are now taxi drivers and domestic workers in the state with a view to cramping the big time PEN ROBBERS and demonic looters.

Must PDP cabals continue to introduce dollars-based projects that will be used as conduit pipes to transports our money into foreign countries?

When will PDP be tired of looting Delta State treasury? Somebody should help me tell Okowa to look inward and not outward.

Where is the PROSPERITY that Okowa promised Deltans? Where are the concrete steps taken so far to suggest that prosperity for all Deltans will be a reality either now or in the near future?

2019 is not far away. On May 29 Okowa’s one year will be worthless history.  He would have  two working years left. The last year into 2019 will be taken over by poitical meetings and permutations.

Okowa, can you deliver? Why this WHITE ELEPHANT project?

I want to believe that Gov Okowa will first make our hospitals work efficiently before ropping us into this dollars-based 419 project. Yes, Okowa can’t get away with this South Africa ’19 JOB!

Some years back we were told through the back door that our money and Edo State funds were invested in a refinery in South Africa. The South African front-man waited until the refinary began exporting refined products before he DEMISED the project to his son in a WILL and committed suicide. Our money went down the drain.

Okowa, please we dont want to cry over our money, the second time. We use God beg you, EKWUEME of the Universe.

Last week or so, President Zuma of South Africa was in Nigeria to interact with President Muhammadu Buhari.  Top of the agenda was “MODALITIES TO REPATRIATE NIGERIA’S STOLEN WEALTH STARCHED IN SOUTH AFRICAN BANKS and other financial institutions via PDP rogue cabals.

Gov. Okowa should first deliver PROSPERITY TO DELTANS before enriching South Africans. I personally wish to plead with the EKWUEME of dogged politics to please have mercy on poor jobless and frustrated Deltans by suspending or at best abstaining from this 419 world class hospital project.

The world hospital at Oghara is there and our poor farmers and jobless youths cannot afford to pay bills there.

In 2015, a woman delivered a set of babies and had some health challenges. Her bill at the end of the day was a figure close to N500,000. It was Ex-Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan who came to her rescue by paying the N500,000 before hospital management released her from technical detention at the Oghara hospital facility. It was my brother, Laba of Urhobo Today online media that broke the news.

Please, please Dr Ifeanyi Okowa; abandon the white or blue elephant world class hospital and first make our local hospitals and health centres work before you think of putting Deltans into another high jump of dollars-based debt.

Please Gov Okowa, kindly revive our local state owned hospitals and health centres before thinking of building castles in the air.