DELTA State Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, Thursday, said his aspiration to govern the State in 2023 is beyond the ordinary quest for power.
Omo-Agege who stated this during a world peess conference in Asaba to unveil his candidature and manifesto, said; “we shall establish a Delta State Employment, Entrepreneurship and Empowerment Programme (DEEP), and facilitate the establishment of cluster industries in each of the twenty-five Local Government Areas of our State.
“We will deliberately create an enabling environment for industries and manufacturing; establish tech hubs, set up small business loan guarantee schemes, promote skills acquisition and set up a Career Development Centre for Deltans.
“As part of our plans to promote ease of doing business, we will undertake institutional and process reviews, remove red tape and bureaucratic bottlenecks, improve infrastructure, and re-engineer our peace and security strategies while establishing a one-stop repository of business knowledge and information.
“We will guarantee the rights of women and invest their unique energy to drive social and economic development in the state. We will initiate a youth development program that moves them away from the hopelessness of today, connect them to creative endeavours and generate energy for honourable work.
“We will make aggressive investments in modern infrastructure capable of opening up the total economic energies of our people, we will lift the State out of a mono-economic dependency by launching diversification into tech and business incubation. We are deeply committed to the cause of changing the current development path of our State.
“However, we cannot do it without the support and cooperation of our people. Democracy and development thrive on a watchful and active citizenry who should hold us accountable every step of the way.
“Let me emphasize that we are not in this journey for ourselves but to assist in charting a new direction for our dear State and its people. This is a call to service and we solemnly pledge to run an open and inclusive government that consults and puts the people first all the time.
“I entered this race, because I am deeply dissatisfied with the state of affairs in Delta State. This event, therefore, marks the beginning of a historic journey, which I have committed into the hands of the Almighty God for direction, strength, guidance and wisdom. It is a journey for the good of the generality of the people of Delta State.
“There is poverty and profound infrastructural dilapidation from Asaba to Warri and environs, Ughelli to Udu, Sapele to Effurun, Koko to Oghara, Agbor to Ukwani, Ndokwa to Abraka, and other areas of the State. The PDP government has abandoned the riverine areas of the State to their own devices. When compared to other states in the Niger Delta with similar FAAC and IGR revenues, Delta is beset by poor or non existent infrastructure.
“The PDP government has no clear ideas to create programs and promote policies that support innovation and entrepreneurship. Our working class, our women, and youths are cast adrift without as much as even a paddle. And in the 21st century, life remains nasty, brutish and short for many Deltans.
“To kick start the real development of the State, our administration will focus on massive industrialization through agricultural and integrated rural development, facilitating the establishment of food processing industries, industrial estates, transportation, including land, air, sea, and marine; promote free and compulsory basic education, free primary health care, development and expansion of educational opportunities for Deltans from primary to tertiary level, urban renewal and regeneration that will focus primarily on cities like Asaba, Warri, Ughelli, Sapele, Agbor, Kwale and the riverine areas of the State, including Burutu, Oleh, Ozoro and others.
“Our government will promote innovation by investing in information and communication technology as a way of modernizing and simplifying government operations.
“Our administration will invest in the appropriate ICT infrastructure to safeguard and modernize government operations and expand access to internet services. Government officials at all levels will be mandated to utilize electronic means of communication in carrying out government business.
“The cumulative effect of these social economic reforms, will reduce the real cost of governance and make it easier for Deltans to access programs and contribute to policy formulation directly or through their elected representatives. We pledge that our government will be transparent, accountable, and ethical. It will not be business as usual.
“There will be a revitalized and strengthened State Security Council that will assist in the coordination of law and order. To ensure security in our communities, our government will partner with traditional institutions and community-based youth organizations to ensure and promote communal conflict resolution. We believe that the development we desire for Delta State can only take place when there is peace and enduring security.
“Delta State and our government will benefit more if we also elect an APC federal government. An APC led federal government will partner better with an APC government in Delta State. Our plans to revive the ports in Warri, Koko and Burutu to boost the economic transformation of Delta State will be better enhanced by an APC led federal government. We will be able to attract other federal projects and influence policies favorable to Delta State in an APC led federal government with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Commander-in-Chief.
“Therefore, we call on all Deltans to vote massively for Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as well as all other APC candidates across board. Our goal is to build a vibrant, well governed, equitable, and prosperous Delta State that puts our people first. Deltans deserve better”.
