Delta guber: My aspiration beyond ordinary quest for power – Omo-agege
...Unveils plan to rebuild Delta State
OVIE Omo-agege, deputy Senate president and All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Delta State, has said that his aspiration was beyond the ordinary quest for power.
He said it was rather a movement to liberate, rebuild and reinvigorate the state, which ought to be the leading light of the Niger Delta region, and indeed, Nigeria.
Omo-agege, who disclosed this at a press conference in Asaba to kick off his campaign ahead 2023 general election, said he was concerned that the state has been left behind on key development indices despite the huge sums of money that flow into the state’s coffers from the federation account and 13 percent derivation along with internally generated revenue by way of the various taxes and rates that hard-working people pay.
“By the records of the Debt Management Office, Delta State also has the second-highest debt portfolio in the country. This is certainly unacceptable,” he added.
According to him, “Ours is, therefore, a movement to restore and revive a state that had been misgoverned and rapaciously pillaged by those whom we had entrusted
with leadership.”
He promised to fix the state through his 60-page manifesto anchored on the EDGE to ‘Build a New Delta’ (BAND) which he said covers critical areas of governance that would drive the agenda if elected governor in 2023.
“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, he said.
“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 organised 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.
“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,” he revealed, among other plans.
He urged Deltans to vote APC into power in the state, saying that it would be a disaster should Sheriff Oborevwori, the speaker of the state House of Assembly and his opponent from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), becomes the governor of the state.
According to him, “Oborevwori’s tenure would mean a continuation of the incumbent Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s misrule,” just as he alleged that Oborevwori has remained a stooge to Governor Okowa all his six years of being the speaker of the state House of Assembly.