The news making the round in Delta State today is the kind of vision that Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, the governorship flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party, would bring to governance, if he emerges victorious in the April 11 elections.
What is his mission in government and what antecedents of his should Deltans be pointing at as something that should give them hope and optimism that Okowa was the right choice and the best man for the job? I think that what our people have been angling for in a post-Uduaghan era in Delta State is precisely someone who possesses what it takes to consolidate what has been achieved by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan all these eight years.
Some of the qualities going for this young man, Okowa, are that he is a resolute, resourceful and focused player in nation building. A senator, a former Secretary to the Delta State Government, a former commissioner and former chairman of his local government, Okowa, in the views of many people in this state, appears well prepared for the tedious job of governing a state as complex and richly endowed as Delta State of Nigeria.
He understands the difficulties that local governments go through, the intricate balance required to get the state government working – having served as secretary to the state government and as a senator, Okowa is not a stranger to the high-wired politics in Abuja.
He is at home in the three sectors, the three main critical axes upon which Nigerian politics and governance are platformed. It is, therefore, easy to capture Ifeanyi Okowa’s vision and mission in government and what he has specifically itemised as his social contract with our people – an unwavering commitment to economic and social reforms by upgrading existing facilities, deliberately promoting public policies that would improve quality of life of our people, and totally repositioning Delta State as the pace setter in the federation, unlocking hidden economic potential in all the sectors of the state’s economy as well as making transparency in government an article of faith.
And he talked about his five point agenda for the people of our state which he insists define his vision and mission: strategic wealth creation initiative and provision of jobs for all Deltans, meaningful peace-building platforms for socio-political stability, agricultural reforms and industrialisation, relevant health and education policies that would ensure more successes and transformed environment through massive urban renewal. As former secretary to the state government, Okowa knows, and he says so, that government is always faced with too many competing demands.
He is aware of the urgent need to reduce the rate of unemployment among the youths, jump-start an early transfer of relevant skills to secondary school students, graduates of tertiary institutions and pursuing ICT competency in the civil service as essential tool for the 21st century knowledge economy. He considers this as important and critical to his vision of reformed and refurbished civil service in Delta State.
Again, as a former Local Government Council Chairman, Okowa knows what rural citizens of the state expect from the state government and what the people at the grassroots level need and anticipate.
His progressive initiative for meaningful peace building platform aimed at socio-political stability entails budgeting from the wards to state levels for meaningful social stability in a state that once witnessed youth restiveness and militancy.
The tremendous agricultural potential of the state, Okowa says, will attract multiple strategies that will boost agricultural production and the necessary rural infrastructure that ensures that agricultural produce are easily evacuated to centres where the demands are, and a deliberate policy backing the policy up with robust and focused agricultural extension services that will support the farmers.
Mechanised farming and farmer cooperatives would be supported and promoted, especially in the rural areas to facilitate farmer/government close relationship and understanding.
I am aware, too, that Okowa is passionate about industrialisation – sustaining and expanding existing ones, reviving those that are ailing, and the establishment of new industries would be pursued with vigour and speed, all in a bid to sustain existing jobs and creating new opportunities.
Senator Okowa knows and appreciates that protection of life and property from wanton destruction by fire and other calamities like flood is one of the critical hallmarks of good governance. Performance based Fire Service delivery and an alert State Emergency Management Agency are vital for internal security, as they border on safety of lives and property.
Fire Service delivery system has suffered neglect in the past leading to daily depletion of our commonwealth through fire outbreaks and fire related emergencies. To address this, Okowa has road map and policy framework to prepare the state at large for emergencies and emergency agencies for the management of disasters.
To meet Delta State energy needs, the flag bearer plans to put in place an Energy Audit Programme to collate a comprehensive database of the installed capacity and actual amount of energy/power requirement in Delta State.
The rationale behind the energy audit is to use the information to plan for Delta State medium and long term energy strategy. The objectives of the audit programme, according to Okowa, are to educate and create awareness regarding energy usage and consumption patterns, document existing conditions for planning purposes, provide information on health and safety issues with regards to pollution and carbon emission and capture data that will assist Niger Delta distribution companies.
Because Okowa considers energy critical and vital to development, he will also, if elected, monitor the Distribution companies very closely to ensure that Delta State is adequately powered to sustain growth in all sectors of the state’s economy.
All of us from the three senatorial zones of Delta State seem convinced that Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, would, when elected by the generality of our people, sustain the legacy of Governor Uduaghan and increase the momentum of development of this strategic and important state in Nigeria.
We support him because we are convinced that he is a bridge-builder, a desired flagbearer of his party and someone who will, come April 11, begin to actualise our shared dream of transforming our lives more meaningfully than we had ever imagined. The reason for this assumption is simple: He has seen it all. As he angles for the Number One seat in Delta State, we know he is capable and ready for service.
• Ogbogoh an Engineer and Retired Comptroller-General of Federal Fire Service, wrote from Ogwashi Ukwu, Delta State.