Delta 2023: Show Me Your Projects as Speaker for Six Years, Omo-Agege Challenges Oborevwori

…unveils his EDGE Manifesto for Deltans.

Deputy Senate President and APC Governorship Candidate for Delta State, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has thrown a challenge to his opponent, the PDP governorship candidate in the state, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori to show Deltans the projects he attracted to Okpe Constituency as Speaker of the state house assembly since the past six years.

Omo-Agege made this challenge on Thursday, November 17, 2022 at his campaign office in Asaba during a media interaction with journalists in the state ahead of the flag off of his party’s state-wide campaign.

While responding to trending allegations of only siting projects in his Orogun community, Omo-Agege said that projects he attracted to his Delta Central District and other parts of the state, are still evident at the various locations, noting that charity must begin from home which made his home town enjoy more of the projects.

He stressed that having served for less than 4 years as the Deputy Senate President and attracted countless projects across the state, his opponent, Oborevwori can not boast of any project attracted to his own state constituency, Okpe.

Omo-Agege further swiped Oborevwori for being a puppet in the hands of Governor Okowa and could not boldly request for projects for his people even as a sitting Speaker of the state assembly.

The APC governorship candidate said that his completed and ongoing projects in the state which includes, construction of roads, building and renovation of schools, establishment of ICT Centres, rehabilitation of Healthcare centres, installation of street lights, provision of electricity transformers, establishment of tertiary schools, colleges and others, should be equated and compared to projects carried out by Governor Okowa’s administration for the past 7 years.

He alluded that, as Oborevwori had been helpless in seeking for basic projects for his Okpe Constituency, that is how it will be for the state if Governor Okowa installs him as Governor and urged Deltans to reject the PDP candidate at the polls.

Earlier, Senator Omo-Agege unveiled his 60-Page Manifesto anchored on the EDGE to Build a New Delta (BAND). “EDGE covers critical areas of governance that would drive our agenda when elected governor in 2023.”

Parts of his EDGE agenda for the state is reproduced below.

“The manifesto is our Vision and Mission; It captures our EDGE Agenda which breaks down as: E for Employment and Empowerment; D for Development (Economic, Infrastructural and Industrial); G for Good Governance, and E for Enduring Peace and Security.

“The EDGE agenda sums up our people’s hopes and aspirations for economic stability, sustainable employment, security, access to modern public infrastructure, solid institutions, and a clean environment. It is strategically organized to make ours a model state and a leading centre of excellence. With EDGE, we bring credibility, efficiency and trust back to governance. It is the ultimate paradigm shift to reform our public service, cut the cost of governance, eliminate waste, and deny corruption and other crimes comfort and safety in our governance architecture. EDGE agenda is our firm promise and its success is non-negotiable.

“Ladies and gentlemen, our vision for a New Delta is driven by the desire to arrest receding hope among Deltans and build a State where the people’s future is brighter than their past. We are aware that our people are seriously worried about the unemployment indices, which are heading skywards as evidenced by the high percentage of our youths roaming the streets for jobs that do not exist, but certainly can be created if we have a government that fosters the right synergy with the private sector to boost employment.

“I will address our scary unemployment rate by giving priority to public investment in agriculture and tech-driven entrepreneurship. My plan as stated in our manifesto will change the commercial ecosystem of the State and create an investment-friendly charter that makes access to funds and infrastructure a natural way of life. Human capital development, agriculture, tourism, infrastructure, housing and other labour-intensive interventions will be at the core of our agenda.

“We shall establish a Delta State Employment, Entrepreneurship and Empowerment Programme (DEEP), and facilitate the establishment of cluster industries in each of the twenty-five Local Government Areas of our State. We will deliberately create an enabling environment for industries and manufacturing; establish tech hubs, set up small business loan guarantee schemes, promote skills acquisition and set up a Career Development Centre for Deltans.

“As part of our plans to promote ease of doing business, we will undertake institutional and process reviews, remove red tape and bureaucratic bottlenecks, improve infrastructure, and re-engineer our peace and security strategies while establishing a one-stop repository of business knowledge and information. We will guarantee the rights of women and invest their unique energy to drive social and economic development in the state. We will initiate a youth development program that moves them away from the hopelessness of today, connect them to creative endeavours and generate energy for honourable work.

“We will make aggressive investments in modern infrastructure capable of opening up the total economic energies of our people, we will lift the State out of a mono-economic dependency by launching diversification into tech and business incubation. We are deeply committed to the cause of changing the current development path of our State. However, we cannot do it without the support and cooperation of our people. Democracy and development thrive on a watchful and active citizenry who should hold us accountable every step of the way.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, let me emphasize that we are not in this journey for ourselves but to assist in charting a new direction for our dear State and its people. This is a call to service and we solemnly pledge to run an open and inclusive government that consults and puts the people first all the time.

“To kick start the real development of the State, our administration will focus on massive industrialization through agricultural and integrated rural development, facilitating the establishment of food processing industries, industrial estates, transportation, including land, air, sea, and marine; promote free and compulsory basic education, free primary health care, development and expansion of educational opportunities for Deltans from primary to tertiary level, urban renewal and regeneration that will focus primarily on cities like Asaba, Warri, Ughelli, Sapele, Agbor, Kwale and the riverine areas of the State, including Burutu, Oleh, Ozoro and others. Our government will promote innovation by investing in information and communication technology as a way of modernizing and simplifying government operations.

“We shall develop and strengthen existing government institutions to promote effective, open, and transparent governance where every Deltan can participate and hold their leaders accountable, reform local government administration to bring government and political participation closer to the people, reduce the cost of governance and redeploy resources to development programs, reform and modernize the legislature, judiciary, and other government institutions and bring them in line with international best practices.

“Under our government, the era of judges and other relevant government officials having to take records manually will be a thing of the past. Our administration will invest in the appropriate ICT infrastructure to safeguard and modernize government operations and expand access to internet services. Government officials at all levels will be mandated to utilize electronic means of communication in carrying out government business.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the cumulative effect of these social economic reforms, will reduce the real cost of governance and make it easier for Deltans to access programs and contribute to policy formulation directly or through their elected representatives. We pledge that our government will be transparent, accountable, and ethical. It will not be business as usual.

“This failed PDP government has no solid plan to address the insecurity situation in the State. If elected, our government will tackle the challenges of insecurity from day one. Our administration will create a security trust fund, facilitate, and equip community policing for every ward, village, and town in Delta State. We will create a system to build security awareness and confidence in our communities for intelligence gathering and sharing at various levels. There will be a revitalized and strengthened State Security Council that will assist in the coordination of law and order. To ensure security in our communities, our government will partner with traditional institutions and community-based youth organizations to ensure and promote communal conflict resolution. We believe that the development we desire for Delta State can only take place when there is peace and enduring security.

“Delta State and our government will benefit more if we also elect an APC federal government. An APC led federal government will partner better with an APC government in Delta State. Our plans to revive the ports in Warri, Koko and Burutu to boost the economic transformation of Delta State will be better enhanced by an APC led federal government. We will be able to attract other federal projects and influence policies favorable to Delta State in an APC led federal government with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Commander-in-Chief. Therefore, we call on all Deltans to vote massively for Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as well as all other APC candidates across board.

“Fellow Deltans, ladies and gentlemen, our goal is to build a vibrant, well governed, equitable, and prosperous Delta State that puts our people first. Deltans deserve better. Enough is enough!”