By Godwin-Maria Utuedoye
All Progressives Congress APC Delta State governorship candidate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has said he entered the governorship race of Delta State because he is deeply dissatisfied with the state of affairs in the state.
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Omo-Agege, who is the current Deputy President of the Nigeria Senate, made the statement at Asaba, the Delta State Capital during a world press conference he hosted at the APC Campaign Secretariat.
He said his aspiration is far beyond the ordinary quest for power, rather, it is a movement to liberate, rebuild and reinvigorate Delta State, which ought to be the leading light of the Niger Delta region, and indeed, Nigeria.
“I am certainly concerned that our dear State has been left behind on key development indices despite the huge sums of money that flow into the State from the Federation Account and 13 percent derivation along with internally generated revenue by way of the various taxes and rates that our hard-working people pay.
“By the records of the Debt Management Office, Delta State also has the second-highest debt portfolio in the country. This is certainly unacceptable. Ours is, therefore, a movement to restore and revive a State that had been mis-governed and rapaciously pillaged by those whom we had entrusted with leadership”.
Unveiling his manifesto, the governorship candidate disclosed that he have come up with a 60-page manifesto which he anchored on the EDGE to Build a New Delta (BAND). He said EDGE covers critical areas of governance that would drive his agenda when elected governor in 2023.
Adding that the manifesto is his vision and mission for the development of the state which he said captures the EDGE Agenda as: Employment, Empowerment; Development (Economic, Infrastructural and Industrial); Good Governance, and for Enduring Peace and Security.
Senator Omo-Agege further noted that the EDGE agenda sums up his people’s hopes and aspirations for economic stability, sustainable employment, security, access to modern public infrastructure, solid institutions, and a clean environment.
He maintained that It is strategically organized to make Delta a model state and a leading centre of excellence. He promised to bring credibility, efficiency and trust back to governance through the EDGE agenda adding that it is the ultimate paradigm shift to reform the public service, cut the cost of governance, eliminate waste, and deny corruption and other crimes comfort and safety in our governance architecture.
On the backwardness of the state in terms of development, Omo-Agege decried the poor leadership system of the Delta State Governor whom he described as incompetent, noting that while other States in the Niger Delta and elsewhere are celebrating shiny milestones in infrastructural development, human capacity development, healthcare, education, sustainable economic development, good governance, and improved institutions, the people of Delta State are shell-shocked; benumbed by the sheer audacity of Okowa and his co-travellers as they daily bring the state to its knees. Even sadder is fact that the governor has been going around borrowing with reckless abandon, making the State one of the most indebted in Nigeria even with its monumental FAAC allocation and 13% derivation revenue as an oil producing State.
The APC Governorship candidate also accused Governor Okowa of channeling monies meant for development of the state to fund his political ambition of becoming a Vice President in 2023.
He said, “I am certainly concerned that our dear State has been left behind on key development indices despite the huge sums of money that flow into the State from the Federation Account and 13 percent derivation along with internally generated revenue by way of the various taxes and rates that our hard-working people pay.
“By the records of the Debt Management Office, Delta State also has the second-highest debt portfolio in the country. This is certainly unacceptable. Ours is, therefore, a movement to restore and revive a State that had been misgoverned and rapaciously pillaged by those whom we had entrusted with leadership.
He maintained that Delta State deserves better and that Deltans must reject leaders who will not be independent of Dr Ifeanyi Okowa and the cabal that brought us to this sorry past.
He urged Deltans to get out of these problems and return to a path of economic prosperity by electing a credible, competent and an experienced leader.