Delta Sate Governor, Dr.
Ifeanyi Okowa has appealed to Deltans to protect oil facilities in their
communities as pipeline vandalism impacts negatively on the community’s
environment and the state economy.
Okowa who made the
appeal Tuesday (24-5-16) during his maiden radio phone-in programme
at Delta Broadcasting Service [DBS], Asaba, as part of activities marking his
first year in office said the incessant pipeline vandalism impacted
negatively on the environment of the Niger/Delta region and the economy of the
state.
He said:"We have
been doing a lot of sensitisation and advocacy on ensuring peace and secured
environment for our communities. We need to protect government facilities in
our areas, the vandalism of pipelines affects our environment and the economy
and development of the state more than the Federal Government. l plead with
Deltans to learn to protect oil facilities in their communities because the
damage causes pain to the immediate environment and to the state.
“If vandalism stops,
there will be improvement to our economic growth and we will be able to carry
out infrastructural development”, he added.
Dr. Okowa |
Okowa explained that
the present economic challenge in the state was as a result of the dwindling
resources saying, " l just learnt from the Accountant General of the state
that this month’s allocation is about N3billion,
this cannot even pay the wage bill of workers put at over N7billion. The low
allocation is as a result of the recent pipeline vandalism in the state, this
will also affect our allocation up to the month of August. This criminal act is
destroying our state and preventing Deltans from enjoying the dividends of
democracy to the fullest."
The governor noted
that his administration has done its best in the last one year to meet up with
the campaign promises made to Deltans through infrastructural development,
youth empowerment and actualizing the SMART agenda and assured Deltans of more
dividends of democracy in his second year in office.
He said that his
administration has put strategies in place to diversify the state economy and
expand the tax base of the state in order to boost the internally generated
revenue (IGR) for government to meet up its responsibility to the citizens.
While commending
Deltans for their support, Senator Okowa urged them to fulfill their tax
obligations to the state stressing: "Please let us continue to support
government by paying our taxes as when you pay your tax you make good citizens
and government will meet your needs.”
He called on Deltans
especially pensioners and civil servants to be patient with government, as
infrastructural development would get to them.
The governor
explained that the state was grappling with the management of its over 12
higher institutions and would not embark on the building of more polytechnics
given the present financial straits in the country, assuring that in the future
if the need arose, it would give priority to the proposed four new polytechnics
approved by the last administration.
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