By Ovedhe Jerry
The President-General of Isoko Development Union (IDU), High Chief Iduh Amadhe has lauded Governor Ifeanyi Okowa commitment towards the development of Isoko land and for making the best out of the difficult situation facing the state and the country.
The IDU Boss made these commendation yesterday in Oleh headquarter of Isoko South during the commissioning of the Ibrahim Kefas road and other notable projects within Isoko South and North Local Government Areas of Delta state as part of the activities lined up to celebrate his one year in office.
In his words, “Your Excellency, we express our appreciation for your magnanimity towards the Isoko nation, we will remember you for making the best out of a difficult situation by completing the DELSU, Oleh Campus Access Road, completion and commissioning of the DELSU, Oleh Campus Law Faculty Complex, and on-going efforts by your administration at ensuring the accreditation of courses for Law and Engineering Faculties at the Oleh Campus of the DELSU, upgrading and improvement of physical structures of the Ofagbe Technical College and the Owhe-Ologbo/Abbi road construction work which is on-going.”
High Chief Idu Amadhe also thanked Governor Okowa for, “the rehabilitation of the old Oleh/Emede road, widening of the shoulders of the road from the Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro to Notre Dame College, Ozoro, renovation of many primary schools in Isoko land, construction of the road leading to the Anglican Grammar School, Iyede and the resurfacing of Otovo and other streets in Iyede; the recent approval for the construction of the Isoko Unity House which when completed, shall be pride and rallying point for every Isoko man and the oneness of purpose of the Isoko ethnic nationality.
Speaking at the occasion, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa assured Deltans, particularly, the Isoko people of more people-oriented programmes, observing that the contractor handling section C of Ughelli/Asaba road dualization project has been mobilized to site.
He used the occasion to appeal to warring communities in Isoko to embrace peace, saying, “I want to advise the youths of Enwhe and Igbide to embrace peace, I don’t think if a man kills a fellow brother, he will be applauded for it, the killing of another brother will not make the land to be your own, it is time for us to talk to ourselves.”
Governor Okowa also urged elders to always give information to security agents to nip security challenges in the bud, saying, “let us be wise, let us be cautious, let us live in peace with our neighbours.”
He charged the elders of the communities to cooperate with the Committee set up by the Local Government Chairman, Hon. Itiako Ikpokpo and help ensure peace in the area stressing “It is wrong for the elders in this area to hide the identity of those youths perpetuating this evil, they should contribute to ensuring the maintenance of peace and cooperate with the committee set up by the council chairman Hon.
Itiako lkpokpo to look into the crisis and l hope that a lasting solution will be found so that my administration can continue with its vision for the development of Isoko land”.
In a related development, the Governor while commissioning the Ofagbe Technical College, Ofagbe promised to introduce boarding system in some of the schools in the state from next academic session.
Among other projects being commissioned by the Governor includes, Eni Primary School, Ellu and inspected the on-going construction work of Owheologbo/Abbi road project, in Isoko North Local Government Area of the state.
According to Governor Okowa, he said his administration was not going to compromise technical education off the youths of the state which will enable them to be future entrepreneurs and employers of labour.
“We need to re-equip our schools after providing the physical structures, we need to establish the boarding facilities from the next academic session,” the Governor said, stating, “technical education is one of our cardinal programmes because, they afford our youths the opportunity to acquire skills and be employers of labour in future. We require this school and many other schools in the state to develop skills of our youths who will in turn, provide employment for our children in the future”, He said.
On his part the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education in the state, Mr Chiedu Ebie at the occasion, said, “now that Ofagbe Technical College has been repositioned as a world class institution through massive infrastructural upgrades and refurbishment by the state government, there comes the time for the entire Ofagbe Community to reciprocate this kind gesture through community participation to secure and protect the school from vandalism and theft.”
