How Uduaghan’s Delta functions

By DAPO AKINREFON

OFFICIALS of the Delta State Government and opposition figures are sharply divided over the performance of the Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan-led administration in the last six years. While government officials said the governor has performed, the opposition indicated otherwise, claiming projects on ground are not in tandem with the funds spent.

Remarkably, key areas like health, education, shelter, food and social infrastructure, road construction and electricity, have continued to receive government’s due attention.

For instance, as a way of ensuring food sustenance, the state government, in 2008, launched the Accelerated Food Programme via the Youth Empowerment through Agriculture (YEP) programme.

But a leading rights activist and lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo argued that the the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP-led government had performed below expectation.

Said Keyamo, who is coordinating the Delta Forces United, “I think that the State, under the leadership of the PDP, has performed far below what is expected of it. This might be as a result of misplaced priorities, mismanagement of resources or outright stealing.”

Mismanagement of resources
Also not satisfied with the level of progress made by the state government, the Delta State Chairman of the Democratic People’s Party (DPP), Mr. Chukwugozie Ezeagwu said the Uduaghan-led administration is weak and fearful, adding that it lacks initiative for development.

Justifying the performance of the governor, his aides said since he assumed the leadership of Delta State six years ago, he has initiated and executed a number of projects targeted at developing Delta, saying from inception, the state government set out to transform Delta through its three-point agenda of Peace and Security, human and infrastructure development.

Through the YEP initiative, awareness and a culture shift in food production that primarily targets youths as future farmers, was brought about. This strategy was derived from the Delta Roadmap on Agriculture and about 900 young people got training in Agriculture Business Management and Computer Appreciation at Songhai Delta, Amukpe.

Ogboru and Uduaghan

Young farmers under this programme, were given state sponsored financial starter packs to establish their own farms, cultivate crops and earn income.

Uduaghan at the state agric summit admitted that it was a mixed blessing demanding that a review of the programme be carried out.

Another programme through which the administration sought to alleviate the plight of Deltans, was the creation and launching of Delta Micro Credit Programme (DMCP), in 2007.

With the introduction of the Urban Mass Transit Scheme launched in 2008, 168 brand new Toyota Corolla vehicles which were given out to interested drivers and the state owned Delta Line Transport Company for commercial transportation purpose.

With this, government reduced transportation problems within and outside the state.

In its renewed commitment to ensure good governance, the state government procured additional 505 numbers, Hiace buses, accompanied with 60 Marcopolo buses, 16 Tata Buses and 130 boats for the riverine transport.

Still not satisfied, the administration added a new dimension to the transport sector with the introduction of commercial tricycle as a replacement for commercial motorcycle, called Okada in Asaba and Warri areas.

Though critics lampooned the state government over its decision to ban commercial motorcycles, the state government noted that the ban has led to less accidents and kidnapping which were associated with Okada operators.

To ensure good road network, the administration said it has paid attention to the rehabilitation, reconstruction and construction of roads across the three senatorial districts of the state.

Perhaps, this has engendered accelerated socio-economic activities, increased easy movements of agro-allied products, back-up incentives for potential investors and facilitation of harmonious inter and intra-ethnic relationships.

Being a medical doctor, Dr Uduaghan has shown very uncanny zeal and passion in his execution of his health policy in the state. He is no doubt, driven by the maxim: ‘Health is Wealth’; and this has given unfettered attention to primary and secondary healthcare, particularly for children between 0-5 years, in the areas of laboratory test, antenatal care and delivery (including caesarean sections).

Also, wife of the governor, Mrs. Roli Uduaghan has been very supportive of the governor’s effort, through her, “Master Care Programme” – a body that has helped in no small measure to conduct enlightenment campaigns across the 25 local government areas of the state.

In the area of Health Infrastructure, the Uduaghan administration has taken over the reconstruction and complete rehabilitation of Eku Baptist Specialist Hospital, Eku, construction of staff quarters in state hospitals, installation and commissioning of modern medical equipments in all the government in the state.

Not unmindful that stable power supply is the soul of any economy, the Uduaghan administration, has improved on power infrastructure, one of which is the construction of an Independent Power Plant (IPP), at Oghara. This, many opine, will enable Deltans avail themselves of the stable power supply to establish their various enterprises.

Besides, it has the capacity of employing the teeming unemployed Deltans.

In its pursuit of the human capital development, a policy thrust built around education, the state government has made in-road into the improvement of basic and secondary education to complement the achievement of his predecessors.

The state’s primary and secondary schools are still undergoing renovation works d across the 25 local government areas. He has also embarked on building new ones with state of the art facilities at all levels of educational development.

This has led to increased enrollment in primary and secondary schools. Children now attend schools without being hindered by finance.

Premium has also been placed on the training and retraining of teachers, instructors and other ancillary staff in the education sector to improve standards and enhance service delivery.

As a way of ensuring peace and security, the governor adopted a number of measures to maintain relative peace and security within the state.

Some of the measures include: Provision of logistics such as vehicles, Armoured Personnel Carriers, APC, and communications gadgets to the state Police Command and other security agencies.

The government also set up the waterways security committee, made up of community leaders and youths, who are familiar with the riverine terrain to help arrest the then prevailing insecurity in the state’s waterways, especially in Warri and environs.

But faulting the claim made by the opposition, a Special Adviser to the governor on Media and Communications, Mr. Paul Odili said, ‘’today, we can proudly say that Delta State has found peace, hence the plethora of massive construction from road to housing and educational development and safe for investors.”

In a chat with Vanguard, further argued that the administration has within the limit of available resources, “judiciously sited projects and delivered the basic necessities of decent human existence in the areas of food security, potable water, basic education, security, primary healthcare and infrastructural development.”