Governor Okowa to Journalists, Continue to be Our Partners in Progress

By Miracle Enuji

Journalists in Delta State have been commended for their solid partnership in the promotion of programmes and policies of the State Government in the first tenure of Governor Okowa’s administration.

This commendation was made by the State Governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa at a parley with Journalists practicing in the State at an event tagged, “2019 Media Appreciation Meeting” where he conveyed his deepest appreciation to the media industry for their support especially during his reelection campaigns.

Governor Okowa who was inaugurated for a second term of four years on May 29, 2019, pledged his support to the media practitioners and prayed for their continued cooperation in his second term.

In his words, “As we start our second tenure, I want to make a passionate appeal that, you continue to be our partners in progress because you were so through our first tenure. I know that at one point in time, we will have one challenge or the other. We are not asking you not to report correctly but please, be our partners in progress and I believe too that if there are issues that you want to draw our attention to, and you think it can not be done through the pages of papers, there are things that can be communicated to me directly. Every Deltan and everyone that lives in Delta State, has the right to be a contributor to the process of governance because in that stead, we will find out that together, we are be able to govern the State and together, we are able to do the best that we can.”

Highlighting some of the targets for his second term administration, Dr Okowa posited that the new mantra of a Stronger Delta on which he campaigned on, is the reality of the Smart Agenda programmes when fully achieved at the end of his administration.

Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa (middle); Secretary to State Government, Chiedu Ebie (right) and Chairman, Delta State Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Comrade Michael Ikeogwu, during the 2019 Media Appreciation Meeting, in Government House Asaba.

“The Smart Delta and Stronger Delta is the same, just that the Smart Delta in the next four years, will actually end up giving us a Stronger Delta because we are going to give our next four years to invest more in the Smart Delta and get our people come out much stronger, united, better development, and where we can truly say that our educational reforms, health reforms and programmes have truly reached out to a lot much people than we reached out to in the last four years.

“We are definitely going to continue with our programmes in terms of wealth creation and getting our young ones tooled with skills as we move forward but obviously, we are looking to a situation where we can double our efforts in terms of wealth creation and social investment programmes that will touch the very less privilege including our widows and the elderly but we are going to concentrate obviously more in our youths”, the Governor explained.

For equitable development, Governor Okowa submitted that from the experiences he gathered during his reelection campaigns, that the riverine areas of the State will witness massive development, stressing that their economic importance demands proportionate attention.

“Those in the riverine also needs development, We can make them truly happy by touching their lives and I believe that as we go through this second tenure, we will pay more attention to the riverine areas because they are part of our State and also essentially because a lot of our resources as a Nation and as a State come from those areas.”

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa furthered disclosed that in his second term, the development of the girl child will receive priority attention with a view of creating better homes and empowered families. “This time we also going to pay special attention to the girl child because it is very important. When you empower a woman, you empower the family, when you empower a man, yes you may be empowering the family but sometimes you may just be empowering that man. I believe that there will be need to give special attention to the girl child because it very important for growth and for the motivation of the family. That motivation is not just in terms of numbers but in terms of quality.”

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ Delta State Council, Comrade Micheal Ikeogwu flanked by the South South Vice Chairman of the Union, Comrade Edward Ogwude, used the occasion to physically congratulate Governor Okowa on his reelection victory and subsequent swearing-in.