Mid-Term Assessment: I Give Okowa 60%- Dele Omenogor

By Emmanuel Enebeli
The present government in Delta State under the leadership of Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa will be two years on May 29, 2017. www.ndokwareporters.com is taking swipe on the government in all sectors.
Mid-term assessment of a government is to take a retrogressive look on the activities of the government, based on the promises made if the government is keeping to the promises, and at what level.
It is a critical assessment process. To be delivered on its raw state. We believe that critical assessment could be a thump-up for the government or thump-down.
In this encounter, Straight Talk 1 on 1 is giving it to you from Amai Kingdom, Ukwuani Local government Area.
We bring to you the critical assessment of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, government in the State, and our guest is Engr. (Sir) Dele Omenogor. An oil investor, philanthropists’, Ambassador of Peace and a Chieftain of the Party in the state.
In this encounter, he bares his mind on the state under Okowa, the infrastructural development, human capital development, and while he gives credit mark to the party for anchoring development in the state, he gives knocks on some of the party policies as it affects the people.
According to Sir Omenogor, “I was one of the strong critics of the government at the end of the first year, especially as it affects Ndokwa nation, but as we celebrate the second year, Okowa had done well. I give him and the government 60%”
Assessing the first year, and now the Second Year
Assessing this government, and with the present financial situation in the country, one will say it will be difficult, especially as senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa came in when the global oil price slumped. He met a financial challenge, and that financial challenge is still there.
If this issue of assessing the government was asked six years ago, and the state is still like this, then one would know what to say.
However, with the present financial situation, one does not expect the government to do much, but little or nothing.
Starting from 2014, the prices of oil globally slumped, with oil selling at the rate of $28 per barrel, for a country that depends on oil up to 90% of the annual income, and as the price of oil in the international market crashed, one would expect financial crises, not only in Delta but the entire country.
No state escaped the meltdown, even Lagos that has higher Internally Generated revenue, IGR. The financial crises affected the entire country.
And one thing, assessment is a very critical thing to do. In accessing this government, as she marks two years in office, we have to be fair. There was no money in the state when this administration took over.
However, despite the cash crunch, the government under Okowa has done very well, given the meagre resources at her disposal.
In his first year in the office, he built 28 roads across the state, I was one of those who were very critical about the process of government at the end of the first year, especially as it affected my people, the Ndokwa people. Nothing much was giving in terms of project to the area. At every given opportunity, I complained about the bad treatment I felt melted to the area.
My question then was, of all the 28 roads and other projects in the state for the first one year, non was in Ndokwa, the excuse was that a school was rehabilitated in Ukwuani, and a road, which I learnt leads to know where was constructed in Beneku, in Ndokwa East. But that to me where no projects, especially the road project in Beneku, which does not have any economic benefit to the people, because as it is, the people of Beneku, has no easy access to the people outside their area, because there is no connecting road. The construction of bridge linking the Beneku community and the Otagba Ogbe, (Kwale) would had impacted more to the social economic development of the area, as commercial activities will flourish.
The first year of Okowa for me was a painful one, and I expressed my mind to who cares to listen, especially when you check on the statistics of projects done then, and compared it to the local governments, the two Ika LGA’s got 8 roads. I felt bad. My blood ran cold.
We went to pray, believing God to help change the fortune for the people of Ndokwa under this government, and I can tell you. God indeed answered our prayers, as can be noticed in the number of vital projects, especially roads that has been either rehabilitated or newly built.
Essence of Road to Communities
You may be wondering why I talk more of road. But this is one, if not the main pivotal of development as a good access road linking communities, brings rapid interaction of people with different cultural and business back ground. As I said earlier, it helps to promote the commercial activities of the people.
Moving Ahead
After what I will call not too good a performance of the first year, I have to tell you something. The man Okowa has done well and I give it to him. He had listened to the people. And he upped his template. And this can be seen in his performance in the second year. If at the end of the first year I gave him 45%, the second year I am giving him 60 %.
Yes, he has done well, and I have to use this opportunity to thank him for the works he has been able to do. One or two areas I have to mention, is the Obiaruku-Amai-Ogume-Kwale road. Travelling along this road was already a nightmare, a journey of 30 to 40 minutes, was 1 hour to 2 hours. It was so painful. But now the people complained, and that road as I speak had been taking care off.
For the purpose of this interview, as I was returning from my journey to Port Harcourt, instead of coming from Obiaruku to Amai, I decided to travel through Ughelli, to Abbi –Ezhionum-Amai, just for me to confirm the claim from some quarters that the long abandoned Abbi-Ezhionum road is now motorable. It was true. I don’t need to be told by another person. I drove through that road and movement between Abbi community and Ezhionum is now possible. Before now, to get to Abbi or Ezhionum one have to go through Abraka to Abbi or come to Obiaruku for you to get to Ezhionum, this is a journey of less than 20 minutes from either side, but going through Abraka or Obiaruku to either get to Abbi or Ezhionum, you have to spend more than an hour. This road was long abandoned. The road is now accessible. And I am happy about the development.
But with the fixing of the failed part of that road, the suffering initially experienced is now eliminated. I thank Okowa for taking care of these two roads, which are very vital roads that links two Ndokwa Local government areas, Ndokwa West and Ukwuani.
The roads, are roads that have huge economic benefits to the people.
If in two years, we can achieved what we had achieved in Ndokwa alone, and other parts of the state, with the available lean resources, this government when accessed critically had done well. And before the end of this first term of Okowa, much more will be done.
Job Creation
Another area of achievement is in the area of Job Creation. This government came in with the idea of creating wealth for all Deltans under its SMART Agenda policy, it embarked on youths training in both skill and agricultural base areas, thousands of youths had been trained and they had been set up by the government. It is a great one. Okowa came with Prosperity for all Deltans, and I think he had done well in his approach to this. The program is to encourage people to be self employed.
Problem with the Program
However, for improvement especially with the very lean financial base of the state some of the programs of this government need to be reviewed. The programs are good, but the monitoring mechanism is not there or not effective. The programs should not be one time programs, but a continuous one. After the trainings, the trainees need to be followed to ensure the government gets returns from her investments on them. That return is to ensure they remain in the market, and add the expected value to the economy of the state especially, their locality.
Again another shortfall in the programs is when majority of the beneficiaries are the family members of the party officials, especially family members who are civil servants, or working somewhere. Thus depriving those that the programs are meant to alleviate. The unemployed. This attitude is not good, and this practice, to me is a national crises. Our programs should focus on those that need it, and not those who lack interests or already working.
Town Hall meetings
In other climes like the United Kingdom and United State of America, one of the measurement principles is the Town Hall meetings between the people and their elected representatives. The initiated Town Hall meeting with the people from the 25 Local Governments is a plus to this government. With the meetings, the Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has taking governance to the people. He wants to hear from the people from the grassroots. That is how government is run. You have to feel the pulse of the people by directly engaging them. This is a plus for this government.
However, this meeting should be local government by local government. This is because each has their peculiar needs and challenges. The three Ndokwa LGA should not be grouped in the town hall meeting as one. It should be separated.
PDP and Delta
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Delta State has done well in the state. And I don’t think any party can beat the performance of the party if they are given the number of years the party had ruled.
As we talk, the All Progressive Congress, are not doing better. Apart from Lagos, many other APC state are in a terrible state.