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Friday, March 29, 2024

Okowa Opens Up: I Have Not Been Sleeping Well Governing Delta

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Delta PDP State Chairman, Barrister Kingsley Esiso, Governor Okowa and Commissioner for Information, Mr. Patrick Ukah at the briefing
Delta PDP State Chairman, Barrister Kingsley Esiso, Governor Okowa and Commissioner for Information, Mr. Patrick Ukah at the briefing

“All that glitter is not gold”, is the adage that best describe the comatose nature that the Delta State governor, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa is presently going through with the present economic down turn which has adversely affected the state, the menace of Fulani Herdsmen ravaging some parts of the state, the resurgence of militia activities in Delta Creeks and some ill-fated elements in the cabinet who are bent in sabotaging his efforts in transforming the state.

Okowa gave the astonishing revelation of his sleeplessness governing the state since he assumed office while briefing the press on his one year in office, at the Press Centre of the old government house, Asaba.

Okowa lamented that the state was finding it difficult to manage the funds accruing to the state, “we are trying to manage the funds, the times are critical. I don’t want any surprises not because I don’t trust my commissioners, I don’t want to be taken by surprise as governor because times are difficult and we are finding it very difficult to manage our finances”.

It was the Chairman, Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Delta State Council, Mr. Norbert Chiazor, who asked the governor the question if he was having sleepless nights governing Delta.

On the Fulani Herdsmen, he said, “this year a few criminal elements and some of them, these criminals among them have even been involved in kidnapping of persons in this state. We are still working hard with the law enforcement agencies to ensure that we have a peaceful process while we are working through the national economic council to see what will be done to limit movement of these Fulani Herdsmen particularly in this very dry season”.

“We hope that if they are able to have large expanse of land which they have in the north however and they have this kind of rapidly multiplying grass that can be used and we are able to provide proper irrigation system in such grazing reserves within the north where they are used to, we may be able to limit the movement to the southern parts of the country and we will be able to identify the criminal elements and get the security agencies to go after those criminal elements among them”.

Sincere enough, the governor answered, “I would lie if I tell you that I have been sleeping well. I am sure that the immediate past governors had their own challenges at their time and they also had their very robust times. I have come at a time when Deltans are very expectant and I came in with lots of promises”.

“but fortunately or unfortunately, I don’t know how to put it now the economy of the nation which Delta State is part of has drip down remarkably and considering the fact that we are governing a state in which our people are very expose and they have a lot of expectation, you should expect that I will not be sleeping well”, confused Okowa answered.

It would be recall that Okowa who expressed worries over the incessant attacks on oil facilities in the Niger Delta Region, particularly in Gbaramatu, Warri South West of the state pleaded with the Niger Delta Avengers, a new militant group whose activities has attracted the Mohammadu Buhari-led federal government to the region to sheath their sword.

“I want to plead with us that in our various communities, we should appeal to our brothers and sisters who are still attacking oil facilities. It isn’t good because the oil prices are down and it is a double challenge for us. I plead with us to please talk with our brothers, our various sons and daughters in the communities that there is a need to embrace peace, to be patient with us as a state and even with the federal government because we need the cooperation of all for us to have a success story”.

The governor said, “I am one person that believe that whatever is happening now, there is a lesson in it for all Nigerians and all Deltans to learn. Until times becomes tough, we may not arrive as a people and the very difficult challenges that we have, though it impacts negatively on us and people are not at peace in their hearts but I believe that God is preparing us for a better and greater Delta State and a better and greater Nigeria”.

He however, admonished Deltans and Nigerians to stay focused, “It is just for us to stay resilience and be patient and to stay committed both in prayers and in hard work and I believe that very soon when things improve, we will realize that we cannot waste our resources anymore”, implying that previous administrations in the state and in the country have wasted resources at the state and federal levels of the government.

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