Follow Us on Google
From Joe Obukata Ogbodu, Warri
The governorship candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) in Delta State, Deacon Chris Iyovwaye, has taken to task the Delta State Government over the appropriation of the state’s huge resources, saying that Delta is rich in oil, gas, minerals and land, yet its youths are jobless and its communities are in darkness.
Speaking at a town hall meeting with professionals at the Monarchy Event Centre in Effurun, near Warri, the commercial nerve centre of the state, yesterday, Iyovwaye said about 40 industries in the state had died or were gasping for breath, while over six million Deltans, mostly youths, struggled to survive.
“We want to industrialise Delta. We are not joking. It is something that is possible,” he enthused.
Iyovwaye said the problem of Delta was not money, but patronage. He accused successive governments of sharing appointments by friendship, not by merit.
“You cannot run a state by who you know. You run it by who can deliver,” he said.
He said Delta must professionalise its civil service, as America, Europe and China had done, if it wanted real development.
The NDC candidate tackled the Delta State Government’s love for cash transfers, saying handouts could not build an economy.
“Development is not how much cash you share. It is how much purchasing power the ordinary man has. It is jobs,” he said.
He said money wasted on handouts could build palm oil factories that would employ thousands and earn foreign exchange.
Iyovwaye also queried the management of the 13 per cent derivation fund meant for oil-producing communities.
He said that after decades of oil exploration, many oil communities in Delta were still poor, without roads, water and light. Some, he said, had not seen electricity for 10 years despite sitting on gas.
“That money must reach the real owners. It must be monitored. It must show on ground,” he said.
He listed oil and gas, solid minerals, agriculture and electricity as the four keys to unlock Delta.
Other News
Delta, he said, had iron ore, gypsum, silica and clay lying untapped. He cited the dead Delta Glass industry, saying silica alone could revive glass manufacturing and even produce solar panels.
On agriculture, he listed cassava, palm produce, groundnuts, fish and livestock as goldmines if processed and exported.
On power, he said Delta had enough gas to light up industries, but lacked the will and infrastructure.
He also demanded full autonomy for local governments, regular audits of projects and funds, and a ruthless fight against insecurity.
“Our people must move freely without fear. Criminals must be identified and punished,” he said.
He urged professionals to challenge his blueprint and bring their expertise, saying he did not come to buy endorsement with friendship.
In a keynote address delivered by a guest lecturer from the Niger Delta University, Bayelsa State, Dr Ebipuade Sapae-Obi, he lamented that Nigeria focused more on consumption instead of harnessing its resources to build the nation.
“We have historically focused more on consumption than production. In China, professionals continue to play a key role in how the country is governed. Therefore, I call on our professionals today to emulate that model.
“If our best talents are running successful businesses and creating sustainable opportunities, we have an ideal candidate in Chris Oyovwaye,” he said.
Speaking, the deputy governorship candidate of the party, Mr Godwin Ossai, urged professionals to begin to diversify and seek knowledge in other areas.
“Knowledge is important because it sets you apart from the crowd. A leader leads the way and it’s up to all of us to start looking at the concept of leadership.
“China and Singapore think ahead but here we don’t think ahead. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. We don’t have a one-year plan. We don’t have a ten-year plan. What are the indexes of development? Social amenities are a yardstick of development. The number of people you have is also an index of development.
“Do you know that Delta State alone can be a country? We have the wherewithal to be. That is what we want to bring. Do we have the capacity to develop Delta? Yep, we have it. The Agbor flyover is a project of an ad hoc mentality. We need to go further than that,” he said.
