2, January, 2025
Trackup-news.com
Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori has assured Deltans that his administration remains committed to delivering democracy dividends through the M.O.R.E Agenda.
He explained that the State government is working tirelessly to improve the lives of Deltans and confident that the government’s efforts will yield tangible results.
This was contained in a press statement by Commissioner for Information, Delta State Dr. Ifeanyi Michael Osuoza
The Governor also refuted the claims made by the APC Publicity Secretary in Delta State which
Valentine Onojeghuo, states that there’s nothing to expect from Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s administration in 2025.
*Setting the Record Straight*
Governor Oborevwori said his administration has made significant strides in infrastructure development, human capital development, healthcare, education, and agriculture with many to come.
Some notable projects include:
– *Infrastructure Development*: The Warri/Effurun Flyover bridges, Storm Water Drainage projects in Warri/Effurun, and the construction of Olomoro-Igbide road.
– *Healthcare*: Renovation and upgrade of 150 Primary Health Care Centres and 64 General Hospitals, and the growth of the State Contributory Health Insurance Scheme to over 2 million enrollees.
– *Education*: Ongoing projects at Southern Delta University, Ozoro; University of Delta, Agbor; Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba; and the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko.
– *Agriculture*: Empowerment of over 6,000 farmers and plans to raise 50,000 Agro-preneurs in collaboration with the Africa Development Bank-NEPAD Partnership programme.
*A Call to Action*
He however invited Mr. Onojeghuo and his team to embark on a facility tour of the state projects, so they can witness firsthand the progress being made.
“We’re confident that our achievements will speak for themselves.” He affirmed.
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PRESS STATEMENT
02, January, 2025
GOVERNOR OBOREVWORI’S DEVELOPMENTAL STRIDES – AN OPEN BOOK THAT ALL DELTANS CAN SEE
Dear Deltans,
On New Year’s Day, I issued a New Year goodwill message on behalf of the Delta State Government using this same medium, with the title: 2025: EXPECT MORE DEMOCRACY DIVIDENDS, DELTA STATE GOVT. ASSURES DELTANS.
In that Press Statement, I deliberately refrained from cataloging the already well-known achievements of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s administration, dwelling instead on the need for Deltans to expect more from the M.O.R.E Agenda of this administration in 2025.
It is therefore disheartening for the APC Publicity Secretary in Delta State, Valentine Onojeghuo, to convert the innocuous New Year message of the Delta State Government into their usual political refrain by giving vent to an obvious lie that there is nothing more to expect from the M.O.R.E Agenda of the Oborevwori’s administration, this New Year. I would have left the State Publicity Secretary of the PDP to respond to him as party to party, but since Mr. Valentine Onojeghuo specifically mentioned my name, hence this response.
If the APC Publicity Secretary is honest enough to admit that the Warri/Effurun Flyover bridges are tangible achievements of the Oborevwori’s administration, he should have extended this honesty to other visible projects that the Oborevwori’s administration has embarked upon in less than two years since it came into office. Even in the same Warri axis, there are massive Storm Water Drainage projects going on to prevent flooding in the Warri/Effurun metropolis. Ughelli town is having a facelift, with attention being given to township roads in Ughelli, and the same applies to Sapele and the construction of Olomoro-Igbide road, to mention but a few.
The Oborevwori administration is gearing up to finish the 139-kilometre Asaba-Ughelli expressway with particular emphasis on the multi-million naira Obo bridge in Ogwashi Uku.
The Delta State Government is also focusing on the completion of the Kwale- Beneku bridge and the construction of the Ayakoromo bridge which is 612 metres across the Forcados River. Other ongoing projects are the Orere-Ewu Bridge, the Trans-Warri Ode Itsekiri bridges and roads, including some roads in Ika North East and Ika South Local Government Areas.
The Oborevwori administration has already completed and commissioned Phase 1 of the Emevor-Orogun road project and, commenced Phase 2, completed and commissioned the Ibusa/Okpanam bypass project. Already commissioned also is the iconic High Court complex, Asaba, commissioned by none other than the former President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
Presently, the administration has embarked on about 513 road projects of over 1,300 kilometres and 950 kilometres of drainage projects simultaneously, under construction.
These also include Federal Roads, which the Governor has repeatedly assured he would work on for the benefit of the people, with or without the possibility of a refund and except where there are existing contractual encumbrances.
The Publicity Secretary of the APC was also economical with the facts when he mischievously mentioned that the Oborevwori administration had earmarked only the sum of N1 billion for infrastructural projects in each of the 25 Local Government Areas of Delta State.
In actual fact, the administration devised a Special Budgetary Strategy with the provision of a dedicated allocation of N2b in the 2025 budget, to each Local Government Area for roads.
The State government has also devoted 60% of the 2025 budget to Capital Expenditure, one of the highest ratios presently of any State budget in the country.
In the area of Health, which the Publicity Secretary of the APC claimed nothing is being done, we need to inform him that the outstanding achievements of the administration in the health sector, include the ongoing renovation, upgrade and re-equipment of about 150 Primary Health Care Centres and 64 General Hospitals. The growth of the State Contributory Health Insurance Scheme to currently over 2 million enrollees is another impressive landmark in the sector.
Others include the addition of Faculty of Medical Sciences at the Southern Delta University, Ozoro (formerly Delta State University of Science and Technology, Ozoro), with a new campus opened at Orerokpe, the establishment of the School of Medical and Health Technology, Ovrode, the provision of various critical CTU facilities at the University Teaching Hospital, Oghara, and Specialist Hospitals in the State, and the sustenance and improvement of the Mother and Under-5 Children Free Treatment Programme.
Only recently, Delta State won $400,000 Bill and Melinda Gates PHC award for outstanding performance in Primary Health Care Management.
Governor Oborevwori, as a matter of critical importance, is indeed overhauling the entire health system in Delta State in line with his M.O.R.E Agenda and the results will be manifestly unveiled and appreciated as 2025 unfolds.
Towards creating an enabling and conducive learning environment in tertiary institutions, several projects have commenced and some commissioned at the Southern Delta University, Ozoro (formerly University of Science and Technology, Ozoro); University of Delta, Agbor; Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba and the Southern Delta University [Orerokpe campus]. These projects include Faculty Buildings, Lecture Theaters, roads, and Lecture Hall at the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, among others.
The administration has also disbursed a total of N674 million as bursary payments to over 30,000 students of Delta State origin studying in tertiary institutions across the country. This is to help ease the financial burden on students and promoting access to education. Also, the administration has given financial assistance to Deltans in the Nigerian Law Schools. In addition, it has also paid the sum of N3.55bn as counterpart funding for the 2024 Universal Basic Education [UBE] Programme.
The development strides of the Oborevwori administration is not only about roads and bridges. There has been a high premium on social investments with the expansion of the beneficiaries of the D-CARES programme from 36,000 to over 250,000 in various result areas, in less than two years.
This is in addition to other human capital development programmes like the MORE Grant Scheme, MORE Biz-Up, WESAP (Women Empowerment Skill Acquisition Programme) which has so far empowered 311 beneficiaries, with 220 women and 91 persons with Disabilities through the Office of the Honourable Commissioner for Women Affairs.
Of course it is only logical to expect that more persons will be empowered in 2025 and Deltans will surely be positively impacted by these human capital and social security programmes in the New Year.
In the Agricultural sector, we need to inform the APC Publicity Secretary that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori is committed and focused on boosting the Agriculture sector and ensuring food security with a well-structured strategic vision, where farmers are not only regularly provided inputs and over 6,000 of them financially empowered, but with the government also aiming to raise 50,000 Agro-preneurs in collaboration with the Africa Development Bank-NEPAD Partnership programme for agricultural development. These collaborations will definitely continue with more strategic and mutually rewarding partnerships for our farmers and indeed Deltans, in 2025.
As an open government, the office of the Delta State Commissioner for Information is inviting the APC spokesman, Valentine Onojeghuo and his team, on a facility tour of projects so far embarked upon by the Oborevwori’s administration in the State since coming into office, provided they would be honest enough to accurately report what they will see on ground.
This way they would become fully abreast of the developmental strides of Governor Oborevwori’s administration, rather than rely on rumours or unfounded speculations as their main sources of information.
I need to remind Mr. Valentine Onojeghou that the time for politics is over and now is the time for governance. When the time for politics comes, we will all be ready to play it together.
Finally, I would like to send my warm New Year greetings to Deltans and also to reiterate my earlier statement that Deltans have a lot to expect from the Oborevwori’s administration, as he continues to deliver pragmatic, verifiable, and life-impacting democracy dividends through the very articulate M.O.R.E Agenda, for Deltans and Delta State, in 2025.
Governor Sheriff Oborevwori is working and Deltans are seeing it.
Dr. Ifeanyi Michael Osuoza
Commissioner for Information,
Delta State.
