The performance of the outgoing Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, in the area of infrastructure and human capital development has been described as his stellar achievement in his eight years of administration .
Taking a critical assessment of youth agricultural and entrepreneurial skills training programs for the past eight years in the state in an interview, a one-time commissioner for information as well as health in the state, Dr Festus Okunbor, said with several entrepreneurship programs, Okowa was able to take a lot of the youths out of the streets.
Recall that over 8,000 youths have not only been trained but empowered through the state government’s various programs including Skill Training (STEP), Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurs Program (STEP), Girl Child Empowerment Skills Training (GEST) among others.
According to Okunbor, the programs have made the beneficiaries employers of people as testimonies abound of many success stories in piggery, fishery, fashion design, textile and tailoring, wedding and fabrication, decorations, tiling, solar power works and many more.
“You find them (the trainees) all over the place, because the only way to keep the society safe is to keep the youths engaged.
“People complain about the numbers of aides Okowa engaged, these are still in the category of youths, so he took a lot of the youths out of the streets.
“Is it the waterways surveillance, the end result being that his tenure witnessed the most peaceful moment in the state because most programs were intentionally designed to keep youths busy, improve on their prosperity, leaving for them little or no opportunity to be enticed to criminality.”
Okunbor scored Okowa administration high for the transformation of Asaba, Delta State capital for the huge infrastructural development especially in the area of road network and the imposing new state secretariat named after the traditional ruler of Asaba (Asagba of Asaba) Prof Ckike Edozien) which he described as the best state secretariat in the country.
“Anybody who knew Asaba before Okowa became governor in 2015 and didn’t come to Asaba before now, he is likely not to recognize the city because of the massive infrastructural facelift.”
The former Chief of staff in government house and Chairman governing council of Delta polytechnics Ozoro and Ogwashi Uku at different times, said the network of roads in Asaba are now durable due to the storm drainage that has immensely tackled the perennial flood in the capital, adding that a similar gesture is being extended to Warri, the oil city.
“You can see the roads have the potential to last a lot longer so you don’t have to come back to the roads in another five years .
“More roads are being constructed with drainages and drains draining effortlessly. There is no more flood
so there is no more soaking of bitumen and the roads can now last.
“In fact, the storm drainage network going on in Warri, I understand, a trailer can pass through it.
“Now that the storm drainage in Warri is about 60% completed, the state government has started the construction of the stadium”.
He said those who faulted Okowa for not paying attention to Warri roads construction should pause as the fundamental problem of flooding must first be tackled.
“For me, if de-flooding of Warri is the only thing the Okowa administration did, clap for them to the high heaven because that is a fundamental and extremely expensive venture.
Okunbor took a swipe at the health, education, technology, workers welfare and other sectors concluding that there was deliberateness in planning and implementation by the government and “that is why I tell people that the performance of Gov Okowa has been stellar”.
