By Michael Tidi
Governance in Delta State under the leadership of Senator Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa has fundamentally been sustained at a pace reflective of the Governor’s commitment to instituting a paradigm shift in service delivery by government to the people of the state. This is clearly an administration in a hurry to deliver maximally on its S.M.A.R.T Agenda within the four year tenure of his first term. In an earlier published assessment of the administration’s performance on the state’s 24th creation anniversary, for example, I had stated that the Okowa administration is expanding access to qualitative healthcare through the Executive Bill on Delta State Contributory Health Commission, which when passed into law, will trigger a robust health insurance scheme that gives access to affordable and quality health services. Reference was also made to the Asaba Capital Territory Development Agency, which is aimed at rehabilitating the state capital and develop it into a seat of government that will be a source of pride to the entire citizenry of Delta State regardless of place of origin. A number of reactions to the piece titled WHO ELSE BUT OKOWA AS DELTANS CELEBRATES 24 came in the form of concerns regarding the governor’s ability to satisfactorily deliver on his mandate to the electorate. It was argued that in spite of all the good intentions on its part, in all likelihood the Okowa Administration may not be able to achieve much in its first 100days given the severe financial constraints occasioned by the oil glut, as well as low IGR-remittance in recent times.
Fortunately, such pessimism is completely contradicted by the journey so far. The first 100days of Governor Okowa’s administration have finally rolled by and I am happy to report that his administration has made truly remarkable progress as a government. The sustainable peace building foundation which the Okowa administration is laying as a derivative of the equitable spread of projects and political appointments is worthy of commendation. In a bid to further uplift the socio-economic activities and improve transport services, the Okowa Administration has taken the initiative to look into the challenges facing the expansion and use of the ongoing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) scheme in Uvwie Local Government Area of the state. The administration has also intensified its effort to ensure smoother traffic flow and sanity on the roads leading to the Warri Refinery Depot. As for the aviation sector, the Okowa Administration is speeding up the upgrade of the Asaba International Airport, which was unfortunately downgraded before coming on board. Appropriate measures are being taken to ensure that the airport is properly upgraded to accommodate wider bodied aircraft in the nearest future.
The impact of the administration’s policies in meeting the aspirations of the long abandoned people of the oil-producing sections of the state is immediately evident with the successful amendment of the DESOPADEC principal law. One area where tremendous progress has undeniably been made in this respect is the recent inauguration of the 14-man governing board of the commission with a charge to constantly carry the Host Oil and Gas Communities along in the selection, allocation and implementation of projects. With the new board in place, DESOPADEC has now been repositioned into an agency that would drive efficiency and effectiveness, thus delivering on its mandate.
Again, despite the onerous challenges the nation is facing in meeting with the obligations of paying pensioners, the Okowa administration is ensuring that our pensioners both at the state and local government levels receive their entitlements as and when due. The Governor’s unwavering target is to take the welfare of all those who have meritoriously served the state to a level where no pensioner will be owed or go through any stress in receiving their benefits.
Within the period under review, the Okowa administration has achieved significant mileage in the area of fiscal prudence, with the setting up of machineries that help to block all avenues through which scarce resources are stolen or wasted to ensure steady growth for the state. As I write, there is Bio-metric registration ongoing in the Civil service. This is with a view to riding the state of ghost workers, thus freeing funds for developmental projects. Furthermore, tax drive is aggressively being pursued so as to shore up the state’s internally generated revenue. It is on record that this administration has saved significant amounts of money which would have been frittered away in the form of a whopping 20% Consultancy Fee hitherto paid to private tax firms.
The foregoing brief overview of the first 100days of Okowa’s Administration vividly portrays a determined leader pursuing set goals with single minded devotion despite the lean resources under his watch. With Okowa’s unique insight into public service, Deltans can now seat back, relax and look forward to a new era of job creation and economic empowerment, youth development and social welfare, including a leap in infrastructural development and the advent of world class healthcare delivery.
TIDI, Special Assistant on News Media to Governor Okowa, wrote from Asaba.
