Despite the economic crunch bedevilling the country with its devastating effect on Delta State, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has continued to dip the state into more economic woes with the appointment of the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Chief Edwin Uzor and his Deputy Emmanuel Ighomena as Special Advisers (SAs) among his already populated appointees.
Okowa who has lamented the present economic situation the country is facing in several fora, said it has affected the delivery of capital projects to Deltans.
The duo are replacement of Barr. Kingsley Esiso, the present chairman of the party in the state and Emmanuel Ogidi, the current South-south chairman of PDP which Okowa used to fight Carol Ojugboh from office.
Speaking at the swearing-in of the Special Advisers on Monday, 05 September 2016 in Asaba, at the Executive Chamber of the New Government House, the governor observed that with the current economic situation of the country where the masses are in pains, political office holders should also, adjust their style of living as “it is no longer business as usual.”
Aligning himself with the present economic crisis, Okowa said, “At challenging times such as this, all political office holders should know that they should bear the pains; there is grumbling among the political appointees and among those holding elected positions and it shows that some of them don’t know the economic situation of the country,” the governor said.
According to him, “as politicians holding positions, we need to submit ourselves to some levels of pains, we have to make sacrifices, we cannot afford to live large when the people are in pains, we cannot afford to live large when the economy is in recession.”
He continued, “the allocation from the federation accounts to Delta State is less than 50 per cent of what is required to pay salaries”.
The governor disclosed that appointing Chief Uzor and Hon. Ighomena as Special Advisers had become necessary as Chief Emmanuel Ogidi and Barr. Kingsley Esiso resigned their positions as Special Advisers to enable them contest for different positions in the party which they emerged victorious.
