This is a bad Portion of Enerhen Junction the Business Nerve Centre of the City in Warri, Delta State.
By Emmanuel Enebeli
The recent report and the first ever to showcase the National Competitiveness Report and Sub Competitiveness index, by the National Competitiveness Council of Nigeria (NCCN), indicating the strength of the 36 states and the FCT on factors that affects development and make the people live a life of comfort showed that many part of the country, state by state still need to do more to attract enough physical development to the people of the various states, so that the minimum and basic living conditions will be attained.
The NCCN report showed that many of the states are affected negatively by some basic indexes that are supposed to make living meaningful to the citizens and it is expected that with this report, the various state governments will want to improve their rankings before the next, properly that of 2018 reports will be released.
However, the case of Delta state in the 2017 report can be celebrated based on the fact that with reports that come out of state if you are not living in Delta is to be considered as a factor, the state should not even be among 20 positions.
Another bad Portion of Enerhen Junction the Business Nerve Centre of the City in Warri, Delta State.
In the overall index report, Delta state is ranked 2nd, this is could be a big mark for the state with the stories of disturbances that people outside the state hear, and see Deltans as troublesome, whose area is not safe for any activity, especially business development. But with the report, indicators that the state can do better if things are done through due process abound.
The report was based on four basic indexes, of Human Capital Development, Infrastructure, Economy, and institutions, with sub competiveness factors under each of the main indexes.
The NCCN carrying out their study showed that the study was carried out diligently before the report was published and made known to the public.
One good thing about this report to Delta, especially the government of Senator Ifeanyi Okowa is the fact that the measure of its human capital development efforts is positively paying off. This is because since the inception of this government, its focus had been, especially on area of job creation is to develop the citizens for self reliance. The YAGAP, GEEP, reconstructions and rebranding of the Technical Colleges in the state are all geared towards a better future for Deltans.
Delta state had the best score in the Human Capital sub – pillar as a result of great performance in the Education, Health, Migration indicators. Delta
State also generates the third largest IGR in the country outside Lagos and Rivers. Respondents to the Business survey indicated that they find it easy to access suppliers locally. However, respondents noted that the access to finance within the state needs to be improved and expressed a lack of satisfaction with the state of electricity supply, and quality of roads which ranked 29 in the sub-index of infrastructure.
The good thing about this report on the development of the state, is that the human capital index that is presently 2nd showed that the efforts of the state to beef up her level of human capital since 2015 is paying off, and investments so far made is not in vain, and should be more encouraged as developing the human capital of any society, is a basic factor to the social economic development of that state.
The report also showed that in terms of movement of people to states, migration, the state also came up 2nd position. This is heart warming as the security of the state has not deterred Nigerians to come to the state for business transactions or activities.
The Agbor-Abavo-Umutu-Obiaruku-Abraka-Eku-Anukpe-Sapele Federal road, surface 2016 by the state government, the Eku-Amukpe-Sapele part of it is today not passable
Delta state from the eye of the outsider is a no go area, where all manners of scam and crime is committed, but with NCCN report, the world is been shown that in terms of business activities the state is a welcome environment. This is further buttressed that the report also indicated that in terms of security and instability, the state still rank higher to many others, as it appears 7th position under the Institution sub index, and justice 1st position.
However, while the state and government celebrates the position of the state in terms of attractive destination in doing business, the other factors that will lead to proper economic development and emancipation from hunger need to be worked on. It is a known fact that the roads connecting the various towns, communities in the state is in bad shape. This is not good for the image of the state, which is one of the richest states in the country. The major roads linking the commercial city of Warri to Asaba, the state capital going to twelve years is in a bad state, especially between Ozoro and Ughelli, and at Osubi as you come in from Eku. In the state capital, the state of the Okpanam road year in year out is nothing but pitiable as Deltans cannot go home or work when it rains. This affects any business venture. The same can be said of the Eku-Amukpe a federal road, the state has to fix the bad portion of this road, as travellers to Sapele now have to go through Benin City or through Effurun, because the Amukpe end of the Agbor-Abavo-Umutu-Obiaruku-Abraka-Eku-Sapele federal road is now cut off, and now den of armed robbers.
The state apart from the rich oil and gas deposit is a home for different varieties of agricultural products, which get rotten because of lack of good roads or transport means. The NCCN report is a wake up call to the state government and the entire Deltans to see that the gains of the report will not be lost, but improved upon.
The citizenry can contribute to the development of the state when they also do the right thing. This calls to question on the contractors handling government road projects and the supervisory agencies. The governor as a person cannot be everywhere, that is why he has his commissioners and Aides, these set off people need to be up and doing. The government cannot award contracts and look the other way, and this is shown in institution sub index of government Policy and contracting, and Bribery and Corruption where the state ranked 21. This shows that there is a lot of graft going on in the government, and the resultant effect of this on the state is the bad road works that fails weeks after construction, or lack of drainages in most of the constructed roads. This is a big problem to our collective development as Deltans.
The government, under Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, with this report need to wake up and sustain this position and surpass it, by ensuring that the basic factors that put the state in bad economic and social index reports are corrected.
While we in Ndokwa Reporters congratulate the Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, and Deltans on the real image of Delta state, we urge that it is our collective duties to see that we get the best in terms of development in the state.
