OGHARA/Nigeria: The Delta State Governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC and Deputy Senate President of Nigeria, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has promised Deltans that if voted into office he will reduce tuition fees in state-owned institutions, and revamp moribund companies that exist in some parts of the state like the Ethiope Salt Company.
The APC governorship candidate made the promise when he visited Oghara and Mosogar in Ethiope West Local Government Area, in continuation of his ward-to-ward campaign, in preparation for the Governorship Election on March 11, 2023.
He stressed that the recent hike in school fees was far beyond the reach of ordinary citizens in their quest to provide quality education for their children, and which is not good for the state.
“Our children that are going to school, look at them they have no money but yet they are increasing school fees. Meanwhile, Delta State is about the only state in the South-South that has refused to implement the minimum wage for councils and primary school, teachers.”
“So the salaries of our parents and workers here have remained constant, yet the university fees are being increased by Okowa. So, who is going to pay?
“When I become Governor, we are going to reduce the school fees and our people will get the minimum wage.”
“And then this is Oghara, we know what Oghara used to look like before. The salt factory where did it go to? Is there no salt in that water again? Now, what about the Shrimps Company? Is there no shrimp in the water anymore?
“We are going to bring back those companies. What made Oghara thick in those days we are going to bring them back, because the raw materials that they were using, are still here. We are going to create enabling environment so that those people will come back here and set up or revive their companies again.”
He frowned at the landscape of Oghara, which is littered with trucks and trailers, saying such uncoordinated parking of the heavy vehicles along the road is very dangerous and promised to construct a Central Truck Park for tankers visiting the area to lift petroleum products to avert similar incidents like the 1998 Jesse pipeline explosion where over 1,000 persons died.
“As I was coming, looking at Oghara, everywhere you go you see trailers and tankers. You know how dangerous that thing is, with one explosion you know the consequences. It happened once in Jesse where so many people died. And as a result of our ‘urban renewal agenda,’ we are going to construct a Central Truck Park outside of this place so that it will no longer be a menace to our people.
He also spoke on the Independent Power Plant project conceived in Ogharaeki, but still at the construction stage, after spending N20b.
“And that IPP project was conceived to be in Ogharaeki and it will come back there. If Okowa likes let him take the things and run. All we know is that we voted for an IPP here in Ogharaeki and we have already spent N20b and that N20b we know what we got with it. At least I know of 125 megawatts of turbine that we purchased.” He said.
The Delta Central Senator also promised to look into the issue of local government and primary school workers, and their pension status.
“Not only that, our fathers and mothers that worked for local government councils and state government, refused to pay them their pensions. Some of them have died, and some are crying. All their pension entitlement if you check our manifesto called the ‘EDGE AGENDA’ we wrote it down that within six months of our emergence as the next governor, we will pay all of those pension arrears.
In his remark, the founding leader of Delta APC and former governorship candidate of the party in 2015, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor urged the people of the state to vote for APC in all elections in forthcoming elections.
Emerhor posited that the incoming APC government bring the eluded development in the state, adding that Oghara is now the shadow of its old self.
“When I look at the faces of our people, I can see young people and women but I can’t see them smiling.
“Sixteen years is what I heard. No employment, no road, nothing, pensioners they didn’t pay. These people are very wicked.
“Now that it is the turn of Delta Central to produce a governor, Okowa that has not done anything for you decided that he is the one who is going to choose the person for you. Do you know that the person he chooses is the ‘deve’ he collects?
“Bola Ahmed Tinubu, vote APC for the presidency because is our person. He’s our friend, I can talk to him about Ogharaeki. Jagaban is Agege’s friend, they are working together. He will listen to him,” here, therefore, charge Deltans to vote for all APC candidates.
The places visited were the hometown of former Governor James Ibori and Mosogar, the hometown of Senator Ighoyota Amori, in the Ethiope West Local Government Area of the state.
