(THE FULL ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, SENATOR (DR) IFEANYI OKOWA, GOVERNOR
OF DELTA STATE, TO MARK THE FIRST YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF HIS ADMINISTRATION ON
MONDAY, MAY 23, 2016, AT THE PRESS CENTRE, OLD GOVERNMENT HOUSE, ASABA).
Gentlemen
of the Press
When I
addressed the State immediately after my swearing-in as Governor on May 29,
2015, we were in the middle of a serious economic crisis. Our monthly revenue
both from the Federation Account and Internally Generated Revenue had dipped
significantly. The non-oil sector of the economy remained largely untapped. The
level of youth unemployment was troubling, posing a clear and present danger to
the socio-political stability of the State. Our credit was in bad shape, and
the financial system was at best, shaky and at worst, perilous. Indeed, our
promise of prosperity for all Deltans seemed illusory.
 |
| Okowa making a point at the press conference. |
2. Upon
assumption of office, we moved swiftly and decisively to restructure our
liabilities and instituted processes and procedures to plug leakages, eliminate
wastes and ensure fiscal discipline. The fiscal consolidation measures we put
in place have enabled us to achieve a great deal of macro-economic stability
while creating the right conditions for us to implement programmes under the
S.M.A.R.T agenda.
3. Had
we not taken the steps we took, our financial system would have been on the
verge of collapse by now. The global price of oil has continued to tumble, the
naira has substantially weakened against the dollar, and recent security
challenges in the Niger Delta region have combined to compound our national
economic woes. Yet despite the prevailing harsh economic reality, I
am pleased to announce that we have made steady – and remarkable – progress in
the fulfillment of our campaign promises.
4. I
will now present to you some highlights of our achievements in the first year
of this administration.
Job
and Wealth Creation
5. As
everyone gathered here today knows, the big issue in Nigeria today is that of
unemployment. It is one issue that sticks out like a sore thumb in the face of
celebrated economic growth indices. Here in Delta, the level of unemployment,
especially among the youth, has reached very worrisome levels, with all the
dire consequences this portends for our collective safety and security.
6. At the very core of our
S.M.A.R.T agenda is job and wealth creation because we realize that the
only way to achieve sustainable economic growth is to create new jobs,
diversify the economy through the development of non-oil sectors, and provide
the enabling environment for enterprises and industries to thrive. In
August 2015, we launched the Job and Wealth Creation Scheme with the following
programmes viz; Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurs Programme (YAGEP), Skills
Training and Entrepreneurship Programme (STEP), and Production and Processing
Support Programme (PPSP).
7. In structure, design and
implementation, these programmes are focused on equipping participants with
life skills, developing their leadership qualities, increasing their personal
effectiveness, harnessing their productive potentials, and enabling them to
become entrepreneurs, managers and leaders. In addition to these specialized
job creation programmes under the Office of the Chief Job Creation
Officer, Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government were
mandated to undertake projects that have inbuilt employment generating
capacity.
8. It is my pleasure to announce
that as at April 30, 2016, a total of 17,173 (seventeen thousand, one hundred
and seventy three) private sector jobs were created by this
administration. This figure consists of 6,800 (six thousand, eight
hundred) direct jobs and 10,373 (ten thousand, three hundred and seventy three)
indirect jobs of both skilled and unskilled workers. As a Special Purpose
Vehicle, the Office of the Chief Job Creation Officer accounted for 7,522
(seven thousand, five hundred and twenty two) of these jobs while the remaining
9,651 (nine thousand, six hundred and fifty one) were created through projects,
programmes and initiatives implemented through the various MDAs. The sectoral
breakdown of the job creation scorecard is contained in the First Year
performance Report to be issued within days of this briefing.
9. As
I made clear in my Inaugural Address, “our
vision is to drive an inclusive economic growth policy that works for all.” Hence,
we are constantly retooling our processes to fund the unfunded - i.e. the poor,
women and vulnerable in the society – so that they can prosper from the global
economy. Towards this end, we have restructured and repositioned the Delta
State Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency to make it more
responsive towards the needs and aspirations of this category of people.
10. From
May 2015 to April 30, 2016, the sum of N546m (five hundred and forty six
million) was disbursed to a total number of 3,110 (three thousand, one hundred
and ten persons) within the various micro, small and medium enterprises. They
included 2,052 females representing 66% of the loan recipients and 1,058 males
representing 34%. The ratio is in compliance with CBN regulations that 60% of
micro credit should go to women.
The
disbursement cuts across different sectors:
a. Cottage industries-6%
b. Trading – 29%
c. Agriculture – 41%
d. Agro-Processing -16%
e. Services -8%
11. With enhanced funding and strong corporate
governance culture in place, the Delta State Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises Development Agency is poised for more effective and efficient
service delivery to actualize the administration’s goal of bringing prosperity
to all Deltans.
Infrastructural Development
12. Consistent with our determination to
develop, maintain and renew our infrastructure in line with our growth
aspirations, the first year of this administration has witnessed wide ranging
developments in the construction of roads, markets development and the building
of hospitals and schools. To date, at least 54 road construction/rehabilitation
contracts have been awarded through the State Tenders Board and the Ministerial
Tenders Board. This figure does not include projects executed by the Direct
Labour Agency (DLA).
13. Starting from tomorrow, I shall
commence the commissioning of these projects. Some of the projects scheduled
for commissioning are:
- Ejinyere/Orodje
Street in Orerokpe, Okpe Local Government Area;
- Jeddo
Ughoton Road and Access Road to Eagles Height University (Phase 1 Jeddo/Omadino
Bridge), Okpe local Government Area;
- Oteri
Township Road in Ughelli North Local Government Area;
- Okere-Urhobo
Community Roads in Warri South Local Government Area (Olomu link Road, 1st and
2nd Olomu Streets, Otor-Okere and Agba Roads);
- Kefas
Road with a spur to Uzere junction, Oleh, Isoko South Local Government Area;
- Uduophori
road (Phase 1), Patani Local Government Area;
- Orikeze
Street with a spur to Orikeze close, Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area;
- Usonia
Road, off Nnebisi Road, Asaba;
- Faculty
of Law Complex, Delta State University, Oleh Campus, Isoko South Local
Government Area;
- Pedriatic
Wards/Water Scheme in Patani General Hospital; and
- Azu-Owa
Abavo Cottage Hospital, Abavo, Ika South Local Government Area
14. Meanwhile, work on Cable Point Road
dualization, Asaba, Okpanam Road Dualization, Asaba, Warri-Sapele Road
Dualization in Sapele from Amukpe Roundabout, the construction of
Amekpa-Afiesere-Ufuoma Road in Ughelli North Local Government Area, Lagos-Asaba
Road dualization in Agbor, constructions of Oza-nogogo-Alisimie Road in Ika
South Local Government Area, and Okerenkoko Beach Road in Warri South West
Local Government Area, are progressing steadily and should be ready for
commissioning a few months from now.
15. It goes without saying that there is need
for continual investment in infrastructure renewal and new constructions that
will engender economic growth, lead to social improvements, and give all
communities equal opportunity to benefit from the economy. The amount of
investment required is huge because the need for infrastructure development is
ever growing and expanding. It requires collaboration with the
private sector and it is gratifying to note that local and international
investors are taking a keen interest in our State.
16. In the next few weeks I shall unveil the
Delta State Medium Term Development Plan (2015-2019) which provides the
template for our growth plans and will, undoubtedly, enhance the ease of doing
business in the State and inspire confidence in prospective investors.
Public-Private Partnership in infrastructure development is critical for our
economic growth because, among other things, it enables innovation in project
design and implementation, creates more value for money because of the due
diligence involved, and ensures professionalism and timeliness in service
delivery. We are determined to pursue our collaboration with the private sector
with vigour.
Agriculture
17. From the onset of this administration, we
were determined to diversify the economy and make it more resilient to external
shocks. One major way to achieve this is to develop the agricultural sector of
which Delta State has immense potentials. We have huge landmass suitable for
the cultivation of cash crops, tree crops, livestock farming and aquaculture.
18. In the year under review, we focussed our
attention on stimulating and increasing the yield of our small-holder farmers
through the Production and Processing Support Programme (PPSP). The
PPSP is aimed at up scaling the use of modern farm inputs and technologies of
small-holder farmers to increase the yield of crop, livestock and fishery
enterprises. Towards this end, we distributed tractors to 64 Cooperative
Societies. Another set of 106 Cooperative Societies got Mellon Shellers while
18 other Cooperative Societies received Outboard Engines and Fishing Gears
support packages.
19. We also distributed improved variety of
cassava cuttings, fertilizer, and cash to 475 cassava farmers; 100 fishery
farmers were given fingerlings, feeds and cash; 100 poultry farmers were
supported with 200-day-old chicks each, feeds and cash; 50 poultry layer
farmers got 200 layers each, feeds and cash; 50 piggery farmers received 10
growers, feeds and cash; while 40 tomatoes farmers were supported with
seedlings, agrochemicals and cash.
20. It is important to point out that there was
equitable distribution of these support packages across the three senatorial
districts. We were also able to avoid the leakages of similar interventions in
the past through accurate targeting made possible by the rigorous screening
process. To ensure the beneficiaries are actual farmers, these inputs were
painstakingly delivered directly to them at their farm sites.
21. It is one thing to increase output. It is
quite another to be able to sell the produce and make profit. To tackle the
marketing challenges faced by our farmers, we have created the Agricultural
Marketing Coordination Committee with membership drawn from the relevant
government institutions/agencies, commodity associations and organised private
sector. The Committee is mandated to:
- identify
existing and potential markets for agricultural produce and devise measures and
arrangements for our farmers to access those markets;
- obtain
and disseminate market information to agricultural producers;
- proffer
measures for boosting market infrastructure; and
- arrange
for facilities such as warehouses, cold storage and aggregation centres.
22. We shall continue to deepen the
agricultural value chain to modernise and grow the agricultural sector for the
benefit of current and future generations of Deltans.
Education
23. The major slippage in our educational
sector in the last two decades or so has been the overemphasis on certificate
acquisition. As a result, we have a generation of secondary school leavers and
university graduates that can only survive on paid employment; worse still,
many of them are actually unemployable. This administration is convinced that
the solution to our current unemployment crisis and youth restiveness is to
focus attention on the acquisition of vocational and technical skills by our
teeming youth population.
24. Upon assumption of office, I sent the Delta
State Vocational and Technical Education Board Bill to the State House of
Assembly. The Bill, meant to provide the regulatory framework to administer and
promote technical education in the State, was passed and signed into law in
June 2015.
Since then, we have reconstructed/rehabilitated and equipped
three technical colleges in Ofagbe, Sapele and Agbor.
25. At Agbor Technical College, we
undertook the following:
- Conversion
of Catering/Workshop Block to a Six-Classroom Block with Stores and Toilets;
- Conversion
of a Six-Classroom Block without Stores and Toilets to a standard Classroom
Block with Stores and Toilets;
- Demolition
and reconstruction of Hostel Block;
- Renovation
of Six-Classroom Block with Stores and Toilets;
- Renovation
of three-Classroom Block with Stores and Toilets;
- Demolition
of 2Nos dilapidated Four-Classroom/Workshop Block and construction of 2Nos Prototype
Six-Classroom Block with Stores and Toilet facilities;
- Renovation
of Prototype Building/Block Laying Workshop with Offices;
- Completion
of Prototype Steel Stanchion and Structural roof Workshop Building;
- Construction
of a 3-Bedroom Bungalow for the Principal;
- Completion
of Prototype Steel Stanchion and Structural Roof Workshop -Building(Auto
Mechanic and Welding Fabrication Workshop);
- Improvement
of Multi-Purpose School Hall;
- Demolition
and reconstruction of a Prototype Administrative Block; and
- Construction
of Twin 2-Bedroom Staff Quarters (2No).
26. The awarded Phase II Project which captured
construction of School Fence, Gate/Gate House have also been completed, while
building of Generator House, Erosion Control and construction of the school’s
access roads and drains are all currently work in progress
27. At Sapele
Technical College, we undertook the following:
- Renovation
of principal’s Lodge (2-Bedroom Duplex Quarters and 18Nos Garages);
- Renovation
of staff room/Computer Centre;
- Renovation/Rehabilitation
of Hostel Block;
- Renovation
of Painting and Decoration Block;
- Renovation
of Electrical Building;
- Expansion/Renovation
Of Generator House;
- Renovation
of Electrical Workshop;
- Renovation
of Radio, TV and Electronics Block;
- Renovation
of Toilet Block by Woodwork and furniture Craft Practice Workshop;
- Renovation
of Secretariat Department Typing Pool;
- Completion
of Science Laboratory;
- Renovation/Alteration
works of Administrative/Principal’s Office Block;
- Renovation
of Welding and Fabrication Classroom;
- Renovation
of Mechanical Engineering Department Classroom Block;
- Renovation/Rehabilitation
of Storey Building Hostel Block;
- Renovation
of Kitchen/Dining Hall;
- Provision
of Overhead Water Tanks;
- Renovation
of ICT/Assembly Hall;
- Renovation
of Two-Classroom Block; and
- Renovation
of Three-Classroom Block.
28. At Ofagbe
Technical College, we undertook the following:
- Renovation
of Boys Quarter;
- Renovation
of Multi-Purpose Hall;
- Demolition
and Reconstruction of Administrative Block (Principal’s Office);
- Renovation
of Staff Quarters;
- Renovation
of Welding/Fabrication Workshop;
- Renovation
of Automobile Workshop;
- Construction
of Dining Hall;
- Construction
of Block of Toilets;
- Renovation
of Hostel Block(Storey Building);
- Renovation
of Electrical Workshop;
- Renovation
of Mechanical Department (Six-Classroom Block);
- Renovation
of Library Block;
- Renovation
of Science Laboratory/Business Studies Department; and
- Renovation
of Mechanical Department (Four-Classroom Block)
29. To
complement the infrastructural upgrade in our technical colleges, we have set
in motion the process of curriculum review and enrichment to make them more
relevant to the dynamics of the 21st century
marketplace. The three colleges will be commissioned during the course of
the one-year anniversary celebrations. Also to be commissioned is the Law
Faculty Complex of the Delta State University in Oleh, which was completed by
this administration.
Health
30. I promised Deltans upon assumption of
office to pursue legislation that will “support and promote Universal Health
Insurance Policy for all Deltans.” The inauguration of the Delta State
Contributory Health Commission on Wednesday, May 4, 2016, marks the fulfillment
of that promise. With the inauguration of the Commission, Delta became the
first State in the country to have a mandatory health insurance scheme for the
purpose of universal healthcare coverage.
31. The goal of universal health coverage, which
the United Nations has been encouraging all member - countries to adopt, is to
ensure that all people are able to access and get treatment at our
hospitals/clinics without suffering financial hardship at the point of service,
or denied service outright due to lack of funds. When the insurance scheme is
fully operational, it will lead to a more robust healthcare system, improved
quality and more affordable healthcare delivery as well as significantly better
health outcomes.
32. Even more significant to me is that the poor, women
and the vulnerable will no longer have to seek recourse to money lenders to pay
for health services, leading to further impoverishment. To mark our first
anniversary, we will be commissioning the newly-built Azu –Owa Cottage Hospital
in
Abavo, Ika South Local Government Area, and the Children’s
Ward and other facilities at the General Hospital, Patani.
Peace Building
33. Peace and security are integral to the successful
implementation of our S.M.A.R.T agenda. Our strategy is to strengthen, sustain
and create the institutions and structures that enable peaceful
co-existence among diverse ethnic groups and communities. We are committed to
seeing that our cities, towns and communities become places where people feel
safe to work, live and do business.
34. In
August, 2015, we inaugurated a 41-member Delta State Peace Building and
Advisory Council comprising men and women of proven integrity and exemplary
character. The Council meets regularly and has been very active in working to
implement policies and programmes to increase public safety in Delta State.
35. In collaboration with the Council, the State
Government organised a well-attended One-Day
Stakeholders Summit on “Vandalisation of Oil and Gas Facilities” on Wednesday,
January 31, 2016, at the Petroleum Training Institute Conference Centre in
Effurun, Warri. In attendance were representatives of the oil companies,
community leaders, labour leaders, human rights group as well as various youth
and grassroots organisations. While noting that there was need for effective
monitoring and policing of oil and gas installations/facilities because of
their strategic importance to the economy, the Summit also called for
attitudinal change among the populace.
36. It
is regrettable that the gains of the Summit appear to have been eroded by
recent events in the Niger Delta region. However, we remain resolute in our
quest put an end to the unfortunate incidence of pipeline
vandalisation/bombings. Currently, an Advocacy Peace Committee headed by His
Excellency, the Deputy Governor, has been traversing the length and breadth of
our riverine communities holding talks with traditional rulers, community and
youth leaders on the need for peace in the region. We are confident of positive
outcomes from these interactions.
Conclusion
37. I
have shared with you some highlights of the administration’s scorecard in
twelve months. You can obtain further details from our First Year
Performance Report to be published any moment from now. I want to
assure you that this administration shall continuously uphold and strengthen
the values of good governance, honesty, transparency, fiscal discipline,
effective public communication, community engagement and excellence in service
delivery. And despite what you may sometimes read in the news media, members of
this administration remain a united, cohesive force determined to make Delta
State the pacesetter within the Nigerian Federation.
38 Thank
you for your time and attention.
39. God
bless us all.
40. I
now open the floor for questions.
Office
of the Governor
Government
House
Asaba
May
2016.
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