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Tag: Ifeanyi Okowa

  • “Deltans want Okowa because he has performed well”

    Chief Favour Izoukumor is the commissioner representing Ijaw ethnic nationality on the board of Delta Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, and he doubles as the Coordinator of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa re-election campaign committee in Warri Southwest local government area of Delta state. In this interview S’South Regional Editor, Shola O’neil, he speaks on the factors that would determine the governorship contest in the state and why PDP candidates would easily defeat their APC counterparts. Excerpts:

    THE governorship election is barely three weeks away; how do you rate your candidate’s chance?

    Governor Ifeanyi Okowa certainly has performed beyond expectations, considering the situation he met on May 29, 2015. He has done a lot in terms of infrastructure, construction of roads that cuts across all 25 local government areas of Delta state. He has also done well in human capital development, in entrepreneurship and training of youths. He has worked magic in the agriculture sector, and this is helped by the fact his road constructions were not limited to urban areas, it was extended to the riverine communities and these have resulted in all round development of the state.

    APC is fielding a formidable and popular candidate in Chief Great Ogboru, and is expected to give the ruling PDP a fight; do you think Okowa stand a chance?

    No one is undermining the popularity of Great Ogboru, the APC flag bearer, but you would agree with me that in democracy the electorates, with whom the power lies, determine victory. The people of Delta have spoken that the incumbent governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has done very well and they will reelect him – it is very clear.

    Besides, Delta state has a power sharing agreement, howbeit unwritten. Delta Central, from where Great Ogboru hails, has enjoyed power for eight years through Chief James Ibori. Delta South has also enjoyed it through Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan and it is only just and right for the Delta North to have their full term.

    This arrangement is on moral grounds and it is working positively for the sitting governor. Ogboru is from Delta central and all Deltans feel that since the other two senatorial districts have enjoyed this arrangement, it is germane for the Delta North to have the same feel, particularly with a man who has done very well. Let’s not forget that this arrangement has brought understanding between the three senatorial districts, and all these are working positively for PDP. It is not good to break a working arrangement just because some people are desperate for power.

    Secondly, you can only win election with a political structure and PDP is very much on ground – from the state to the LGAs to the wards to every unit in the state.  I wonder how the APC can fly without viable platform and base. They also have to deal with the fact that APC at the center has woefully failed Nigerians. Buhari is the face of the APC and with his glaring failures; even APC’s stalwarts are canvasing a need to “change the change”.

    There are a lot of APC members working with us; we don’t want to expose them, because in politics you must have your ace, you joker. Our (PDP) presidential candidate and the Senate President came from APC, they realized that the party of strange bedfellows has failed Nigerians, and the only party that can make Nigeria work again is the PDP and they defected to make it work through the PDP. You will agree with me that with all these analysis there is no way APC would not fail, not only in Delta state but also in other parts of the Niger Delta.

    PDP members are also leaving for APC, and in your state, your district, the past governor, Dr. Uduaghan is now with APC and he is seen as a game changer…

    (cuts in)… Uduaghan, was a respected leader of the PDP, but unfortunately he has left and we cannot undermine his influence and all that, but as far as PDP is concerned, his departure means little to nothing. The weight of his departure was not felt because even his much-touted claim that thousands of his followers would follow him to the APC did not materialize. This is because everyone agrees that the Okowa administration is performing very well. Uduaghan is a past governor and he is backing the opposition APC, that is sad and although it’s a challenge, we will not dwell on that.

    Some people feel that the PDP in Delta state have mostly used their influence at the centre to win past election and now they will face the federal might of the APC?

    We have always heard of federal might, but democracy is not about war and the Niger Delta is not fighting either. We expect the election to be conducted by INEC and APC-led government to be free and fair. It is not a war, so I don’t see why the federal government led by the APC will deploy their federal might to intimidate us.

    If the federal government tries their ‘might’ they will fail because it is democracy and the people are in the position to make the decisions on who rules.

    I believe that by the position of the electorates in Delta state, the ‘federal might’ will not come to play and even if it will, the people will resist it in a civil manner, they will vote against it. We have a lot of strategies in place for the purposes of this election and I may not like to divulge the choice information at this critical time. But I think the people have spoken in all the campaigns and the beauty of democracy is that the people know their choice and with all the feedbacks in our disposal, PDP will win convincingly at all levels.

    Before the election, the governor was accused of focusing only on his Ika area to the detriment of other parts of the state….

    (cuts in) These are mere allegations that are unjustifiable. The developments cut across all three senatorial districts, and in all 25 local government areas of the state, you will see the developmental strides of the governor. The Ijaw ethnic nationality and the people Delta south are strongly behind the governor and our amiable deputy governor, Dcn Kingsley Otuaro, who has done very well as the Number 2 citizen, we are extremely proud of the team and we will support them all through.

    So whoever is peddling all this in this session, of course this is a political period and a lot of propagandas will arise, are doing it for all reasons but the truth. It is totally false.

    Is it not true that the government left major roads in Warri, Effurun abandoned until the elections season; isn’t this a political gimmicks to score for votes in these areas?

    Again, I don’t think there is a political gimmick in this issue. Of course resources is the strength of every government. You will recall that when this government came into power, it was faced with economic recession, in the whole of the federation, which partly affected the resources and the economy. You will remember that the Niger Delta states were struck with and the Forcados trunk line destruction, and this took about a year to be repaired. The daily production on that line was over 400,000 and that period of almost a year, Delta state was receiving almost zero percent allocation on the 13percent oil revenue.

    For individuals, corporate or government, you must take a reasonable time to save, and I believe that he has been saving and that is why this period there is enough cost.

    This terrain of parts of the state is riverine and you can only do most of the construction works in the dry season. It is unreasonable to say that because the governor was waiting for the best time to construct road it is political. And moreover, you will recall that late 2017 and 2018, the governor commissioned some completed projects in Warri, Delta south senatorial and some of the riverine areas.

    DESOPADEC has been in existence for about 12 years now, what has it achieved?

    The former boards tried their best, especially at the time when the current deputy governor was a commissioner; a lot of projects were witnessed at the oil producing areas. So, I will say that they did their best, and that is the essence of continuity of government. When Okowa took over, he consolidated on the achievements of the past government and he has made giant strides. Before now, the oil producing areas, especially the riverine communities, which is predominantly dominated by Ijaws and Itsekiris, didn’t get centralized projects from the past regimes.

    The Okowa government focused on centralized projects and he not just allocated, but awarded contracts in the oil producing communities and also those projects were completed and commissioned. There were up to 47 or 49 projects awarded, and as we are talking more than 80% of those projects have been completed and 60 to 70% are commissioned.  All these were achieved despite the economic challenges and militants’ destructions of oil facilities and attendant paucity of funds that the government inherited.  So, I believe that the governor has done very well in terms of capital development in the oil producing communities.

    Another aspect that he has done well is among the ethnic nationality and security management to ensure safe and secured environment for businesses to thrive. He has been empowering youths from oil producing communities to reduce restiveness, pipeline vandalism and also to retrain them to see that they become watchmen to the facilities in order to reduce oil facilities destruction. There are stipends that even past government were paying, but this government did it in a way that it got across to the grassroots. As a commissioner representing the Ijaw people, I can tell you that Okowa has done a lot for the oil producing communities, including in road construction.

    What are the achievements of DESOPADEC that you can bank on to campaign for his reelection?

    In our (Ijaw) area, there is a concrete foot bridge of over 800m was constructed with extensions and access roads and has been completed at Egbema. In Gbaramatu, there is a multimillion-naira housing project completed and delivered, and the sand-filling of Ijansa community of Warri SW LGA  it is a star project – constructed completed and commissioned as well. There is a brand new slipway project that is very dear to the entire Ogbe-Ijoh kingdom. This project includes construction of access road, and it has been completed and waiting commissioning by His Excellency, Governor Okowa.

    Similar projects are either completed or near completion in other parts of the state, including Isoko, where an ultra-modern town hall was built and fully equipped. In Itsekiri areas, roads are constructed and commissioned, along with dozens of other projects. Also in Oghara and the Urhobo axis, lots of roads networks are constructed. I also know that there is skill acquisition training for youths, and empowerments that go with the trainings all in the aspect of entrepreneurial skill acquisition initiated by the present administration. There are so much more and the state has never seen this wide spread of projects to all nooks and crannies.

    There was an allegation that the governor was withholding statutory funds from the commission…

    (cuts in) No, no, no, this it is not true at all. Am aware that every month and even in some cases before the end of the month depending on when funds are released by FAAC, the commission gets its funded, and on monthly basis too. I can’t remember any month for any reason that there was no allocation released. How was it possible for us to achieve these mega projects in this short period of time, if funds are not released? All our star projects that were completed and commissioned are fully paid for. Even in ethnic nationalities’ project, people wonder how the contractor completed jobs within the stipulated time having considered the difficulty of our terrain. They were motivated by the 25percent mobilization fund that the governor approved for them.

    If this is true, why are contractors are murmuring about the huge debts they are owed?

    I said that the star projects and centralized projects and those ones that take big chunk of money have been paid for, and I stand by it. The ethnic nationality contractors also told me that the present government has done very well in terms of mobilization. It is the mobilization that motivated them, and kudos needs to be given to them because they were hardworking and had a lot of integrity. Some of them have gone beyond the expected project stage because of that motivation and that is why you hear complaints about debt. It merely means that contractors, in anticipation of payments, executed projects beyond budgetary provisions because they trust us.

    I know that there are some projects of the ethnic nationalities that have not been fully paid and the government is defraying the outstanding bills on monthly basis. And you have to understand too that the issue of payment is not only in Delta state but a universal thing; payment is made when there is fund. Judging from the funds that came into this commission and what was achieved with it, the government has done very well.

    The reason why some of them are not fully paid is that when we came for over a year, we were paying debts that we inherited and that is the essence of continuity of government. This also emboldened contractors that they would all be paid at the right time. So even though 100% fund have not being paid to the ethnic nationality, a reasonable amounts have been paid and I am optimistic that before May 29, most of the balances of the contracts will be paid.

  • Breaking: Aide to gov Okowa shot dead in Delta

    A Special Adviser to Delta state Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa identified simply as Ngozi Ijei was shot dead in Ekpan, Uvwie local government area of the state last night.

    The killing of Ngozi, who was a key player in the political unrest in the area since the last decade, has led to fear and tension in the area.

    It was gathered that youths were mobilizing as at the time of this report to attack perceived enemies of the deceased and burn down their properties.

    Prior to his appointment by Okowa in 2016, Ngozi was standing trial for sundry crimes, including murder, but was controversially released from prison before being appointed SA on Community and Youth Affairs to the governor.

    His murder last night was the latest in a bloody chapter which has seen a spike in insecurity in Ekpan and Jakpa Road areas of Uvwie LGA.

    It would be recalled that at least six persons were killed in the area in the last couple of weeks in the latest upsurge of violence before the botched February 16 general elections.

    Uvwie is usually a hotbed of crisis since 2003, because of the usual contending political forces and interests of key players in the Urhobo community.

    The current Delta South Senatorial candidate of the PDP and incumbent House of Representative member in Uvwie/Sapele/Okpe Federal Constituency, Ms Evelyn Oboro, hails from the area.

    Oboro is locked in a supremacy tussle with deposed chairman of the council, Mr. Henry Baro, who is the APC flag-bearer aiming to succeed Oboro in the lower chamber of the National Assembly.

    The governorship candidate of the APC, Mr. Great Ogboru, has a strong fellowship in the area, and in his 2003 failed contest with then-incumbent James Ibori, dozens of houses were burnt in Uvwie by supporters of the PDP and Ogbodu’s then Alliance Democracy.

  • Urhobo youths endorse Okowa for second term

    Urhobo youths under the aegis of the Delta Central Equity Group (DCEG) have agreed to ensure a violence-free election.

    The youths, who cut across political parties and other organisations, also endorsed Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for a second term in office on the grounds of “equity”.

    In a meeting attended by Okowa and a former Delta governor Chief James Ibori on Wednesday in Ughelli town, Ughelli North council area of Delta state, the group’s Convener, Morris Idiovwa, stressed that it stands to ensure that no young man loses his life because of the general polls.

    According to Idiovwa, the group’s endorsement of the governor does not extend to his party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

    “The youths in Delta Central have agreed to come together and say, no more violence in our elections. The youths in Delta Central have agreed that irrespective of party differences, no office is worth the blood of another man.

    “We have decided to come together for a common interest and our primary responsibility is to ensure that our young men are not killed during the elections, as we are standing to reject electoral violence.

    “We must be able to defend our future by conducting free, fair and credible elections. We are not endorsing PDP but Okowa as an individual.

    “The Delta Central Equity Group made of different youth bodies, irrespective of party affiliation across the local government have agreed that Okowa should continue as the governor of Delta state in 2019 for the sake of equity.”

    On reports opposition is plotting to make the March 2 elections inconclusive, he emphasised “no matter the provocation, no youth will kill another youth for someone to enter office”.

    Okowa promised to do more for the youths of Delta Central if re-elected.

    Assuring the group has “not made a wrong choice” in him, he said: “We will not disappoint you and in our second tenure, we shall increase whatever thing we have been doing for the youths.”

    Expressing optimism that victory is sure, he appreciated the youths for the gesture and urged them to vote “but not allow anybody to come and cheat us, scatter our votes because we need peace”.

    Ibori assured that Deltans will vote peacefully, using their permanent voters’ cards (PVCs).

    Chief Ibori, while commending the DCEG for the show of solidarity in endorsing the governor, stated in no distant time, it will be the turn of the Urhobos to produce governor.

    He said: “We will not be provoked, induced and intimidated but we will vote peacefully and use our PVCs to speak for us. And as you rightly said, the next governor is the Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa”.

  • Okowa orders sack of aide for assault

    Delta Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa has ordered the sack of Mr Friday Eluro who was caught on video assaulting a woman.

    The Governor in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Charles Aniagwu, frowned at the assault on a woman by an appointee of government who ought to ensure that rule of law was observed in all situations.

    Part of the statement said,”Governor Okowa having watched the video of the assault on a certain woman has directed that the appointment of Mr Friday Eluro as Security Aide be terminated forthwith to serve as deterrent to others.”

    Read Also: Obi lauds Okowa’s job creation initiative

    Continuing, “In the last three and half years, our administration have worked so hard to entrench the enduring peace in our state and we will not sit back and fold our hands watch appointees of government or any other person no matter how highly placed in the society take laws into their hands.”

    He warned appointees of government to be of good behaviour and always remember that they were ambassadors of government and are expected to be role models in the society.

    Okowa also directed full investigation into the incident.

  • Youths empowerment, key to sustainable peace – Okowa

    Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, says his administration will continue to focus more on youths empowerment in order to sustain the existing peace in the state.

    Okowa spoke at the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship campaign rally on Wednesday in Burutu, the administrative Headquarters of Burutu Local Government Area.

    The governor said that youths were critical to the success of the infrastructure development in the area, because they were part of the peace being enjoyed in the state.

    “We were able to achieve much because of the peace that existed in the area.

    “In my second tenure, I will triple youths’ empowerment because, if we do not empower youths, it will be difficult to have peace,” he said.

    Okowa assured people of the area that he would embark on more developmental projects in his second tenure as governor, urging them to support his re-election.

    He also appealed to the people to vote for all the candidates of the PDP from the presidential level to the House of Assembly.

    “We have done many road projects including the 19.7 Kilometres road in Ogulaha, work has resumed on the Ayakromo Bridge, and many others.

    “We will continue to construct roads in the riverine communities; all we need is your cooperation.

    “We are not the party that seek your votes without reciprocating it, cooperate with us as we are doing the work.

    “As you vote for us, we have to appreciate it by providing you with infrastructure; there are many more things to be done in our second tenure,” he said.

    Also, Prof. Sam Oyovbaire, Chairman, Delta Campaign Organisation of the party, urged people to vote massively for the party.

    Oyovbaire said Burutu was a special council because it has two constituencies at the State House of Assembly and one Federal Constituency.

    “You are a special local government that has two members in the House of Assembly and one in the Federal House of Representatives. Therefore, you and your vote are special.

    “Okowa has never turned his eyes away from the council; the opponents cannot come to the area because they do not have anything to show for it,” he said.

    In his remarks, Mr Kingsley Esiso, the state Chairman of the party, expressed delight at the turnout of party supporters, urging them to repeat it at the polls.

    “I am so convinced that with what I have seen today, the party will not have any problem. I therefore, thank you for the support.

    “We must change the All Progressive Congress (APC) change and to do that, we are presenting Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to you, the man that has the capability as president,” he said

    NAN

     

  • Obi blasts federal government “tradermoni”

    PDP Vice-Presidential Candidate, ex-Gov. Peter Obi on Thursday chided the Federal Government’s social investment programme “Tradermoni”.

    He said the scheme is fundamentally flawed, stressing that the beneficiaries are” untrained, untraceable and inadequate funding”.

    Obi was guest of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa spoke at the two- day Job Creation Exhibition which held in Asaba, Delta State.

    According to him, unemployment can only be solved by promoting micro, small and medium enterprises, urging the Federal Government understudy the Delta State government’s scheme.

    His words “The focus of every government is to create employment and you can’t solve unemployment anywhere in the world without promoting micro, small and medium enterprises. So, what Governor Okowa is doing through the job creation office, training people and giving them the funding to start their own business. When you compare it with the Trader Moni initiative by the F.G.I really don’t want to compare them, but how can you give people N10,000 without training, who do we even know that they are giving the money, how would they collect the money?, here we train them and support them with funding. This is happening only in Delta, other government should come and learn from Okowa. So the Federal Government should come to Delta State and learn.”

    Read Also: PDP will revamp economy — Peter Obi

    Earlier, Okowa in an address at the event, said the economic downturn that heralded his assumption of office threatened to abort and derail his campaign promise of prosperity for all Deltans, adding “our novel Job Creation Scheme, geared at nurturing, supporting, supporting and promoting micro, small and medium scale enterprises is triggering off a new wave of economic growth, social inclusion and sustainable development”.

    He said 4,253 unemployed youths have become business owners across various skill areas.

    Okowa listed the areas of job training to include ICT, Catering , Event Management, Beauty Services, Agricultural Production, and Agricultural Processing.

    Others are Food Packaging, Tiling, Plumbing, Electrical Installation among others.

    He attributed the annual economic growth rate of the services and agricultural sector to the incremental outputs from STEP, YAGEP and other interventions since 2015.

    Okowa said the State is set to become a major grower of rice with the coming on stream of Delta YAGEP Rice.

    He said the State job creation scheme was endorsed by the World Bank/European Union State Employment and Expenditure for Results (SEEFOR) for funding support.

  • Obi lauds Okowa’s job creation initiative

    Peter Obi, the Vice Presidential Candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Thursday lauded the job creation initiative of Delta Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa.

    Obi gave the commendation after a tour of a job  Creatin exhibition in Asaba mounted by beneficiaries of  Okowa’s youths empowerment and entrepreneurial programmes drawn from across the state.

    He said that the job creation initiative could only be compared with that of Tony Elumelu Foundation, adding that the focus of every government should be on how to create employment.

    According to him, Elumelu is from Delta, so, other governments should come to Delta and learn how to grow business enterprises.

    “The focus of every government is to create employment and you can’t solve unemployment anywhere in the world without promoting micro and small enterprises.

    “So, what governor Okowa is doing through the job creation office is training people and giving them the funding to start their own business.

    “I don’t want to compare them with those who give people N10,000 without training.

    “Who do we even know that they are giving the money, how will they collect the money? But  here Okowa train them and support them with funding to establish their businesses.”

    Earlier, Okowa had said that the economic downturn on his assumption of office had threatened to abort and derailed his campaign promise of prosperity for all Deltans, but he remained resolute.

    Read Also:Open letter to Hon. Justice Onnoghen

     

    “However, we refused to be deterred, convinced and confident that our novel job creation scheme, geared at nurturing, supporting and promoting micro, small and medium scale enterprises would trigger off economic growth, social inclusion and sustainable development.

    “We commenced implementation of our enterprise development Programme in form of the Skills Training and Entrepreneurship Programme (STEP) and Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurs Programme (YAGEP).

    “Through the job creation scheme, 4,253 unemployed youths have become business owners across the various skills such as information, communication technology, catering, event management, beauty services, agricultural production and processing, food packaging, tilling, plumbing, and  electrical installation,” he said.

    The governor said some entrepreneurs raised by the programme had become employers of labour which multiplier effects on the family and that of the state remained significant.

  • Delta 2019: Group canvases support for Okowa’s re-election

    A labour-based political group operating on the platform of the PDP in Delta state, known as Option A Initiative, has endorsed Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for second term.

    Addressing its teeming members in Sapele, the Principal Coordinator of the group, Comrade Olumami Oyibo, said they were committed to the return of Governor Okowa for a second tenure so that the Delta North Senatorial District could complete its eight year’s turn of governance in the state and also because of the governor’s performance.

    According to the group, there is a subsisting arrangement for each senatorial district in the state to govern the state for eight years of two tenures of four years each, adding that the Delta Central and Delta South have had their turns and it is the turn of the North to have their second tenure to complete their eight year’s turn.

    Oyibo said: “Option A is all about Okowa; it’s just Okowa; it’s turn by turn. As far as Delta State is concerned, there is an arrangement. There is an agreement, whether written or unwritten that power must shift, power must rotate.

    “Delta Central under Chief Ibori took its turn of eight years and my own brother Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan took the turn of Delta South through the G3. Now the rotation has gone to Delta North and Okowa is just completing the first tenure. Naturally, for fairness, equity and justice, we expect him to take his second tenure”, he said.

    Read Also: Lawmaker commends Okowa on development

    Oyibo noted that group is also throwing its weight behind Okowa because of his excellent performances in the past three and half years, adding that in spite of the poor state of the economy inherited by him, he, indeed, performed beyond expectations.

    The Principal Coordinator, further emphasized that the group is supporting the second tenure Okowa because he has done very well, saying “we are not just supporting him because for the sake of it, we are supporting him because he has done very well and he deserves a second term.

    Commenting on the size of the membership of the group, Oyibo said that it is labour-based, adding that it include a massive grassroots movement that has its presence in the 25 local government Areas of the state, stressing that the billboards of Option A Initiative are in every local government secretariats in the state.

    “Option A is everywhere. If you go to any local government secretariat, you will see the billboards of Option A. I can also tell you that in every rally in the state you have the presence of Option A there because in all the local governments we have Option A members there”, he said.

    Oyibo, who is also the current chairman of the Delta State Local Government Service Commission, said that members of the group were engaged in canvassing for votes for the governor, adding that the group will be organizing a statewide rally for Okowa in Asaba in February.

  • NLC vows to vote out elected officers against minimum wage

    The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has vowed to use the opportunity of the 2019 general elections to punish State governors and other politicians paying lip service to the implementation of the proposed N30,000 minimum wage.

    Chairman of the NLC in Delta State, Mr. Jonathan Jemiriegbe stated this in Asaba on Tuesday shortly after leading a rally to the Government House where he presented a position paper to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.

    Okowa who is seeking a second term in office had promised to implement the new minimum wage once it is approved at the national level.

    Represented by his Chief of Staff, Tam Brisibe, the governor said his administration is labour friendly, and commended the organized labour in the state for their cooperation and support in the past three years.

    However, Mr. Jemiriegbe told newsmen that it was not enough to make pronouncement that the new wage will be implemented, saying that the national leadership of NLC will continue to mount pressure on the Federal Government to approve the new wage.

    “We will continue to mount pressure on government to expedite action in passing into law the new national minimum wage and its implementation, the onus lies on labour to do the needful.

    “Today was rumored to be for mass rally and strike but because of the ongoing negotiations, the second aspect was shelved. I think before the close of work today, we will also hear from the president on the decision reached with Federal Government.

    “I am not certain if we are going on another mass rally but rather if Federal Government fails to do the needful as we have heard from the state government that they are waiting for FG, Delta State Government has assured that it will implement immediately.

    Read Also: Minimum wage: NLC wants Buhari to communicate approval to NASS

    “So all eyes are on the Federal Government to do the needful, we will then know state governors that are saying the truth and those just hiding under the guise of waiting for approval,” he stated.

    The NLC chairman said labour was not against the forthcoming general elections, noting however that if the elections must be successful, the issue of the new minimum wage should not be waved aside.

    “We don’t want to be saboteurs in the electoral processes, and that is why we kept our doors opened, whenever we are called upon for negotiation, we always oblige. We don’t want anybody to say that labour wants to truncate the elections.

    “But the issue is that if the election must be successful, the aspect of the new minimum wage is not a thing you can just wave aside. The minimum wage is a determinant factor for any politician seeking elective office.

    “That is exactly what we are going to do on the day of election. You cannot tell us that you are labour friendly or you are there to represent us and protect our welfare whereas you jettison the new minimum wage,” he added.

  • Shagari’s counsel on national issues will be missed — Okowa

    Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State said on Saturday that Nigeria would greatly miss the late former President Shehu Shagari’s regular counsel on national issues and mediations for peaceful coexistence.

    Okowa made this known in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Charles Aniagwu in Asaba.

    “Shagari, embarked on the distribution of seed and fertilizer to farmers to increase nationwide productivity in farming.

    “He was a legendary public servant, who dedicated his life to the service of our nation in several capacities – as minister, legislator, and finally as president.

    “Shagari’s unwavering commitment to the unity of Nigeria had been a major encouragement to many governments.

    “He made personal sacrifices to help lay the foundation for sustainable democracy in Nigeria before he was overthrown in 1983.

    “As a country, we will miss his wise counsel on national issues and peaceful co-existence especially now that the nation is entering an election year,” Okowa said.

    Read Also: Okowa condemns murder of ex-CDS

    He added that the late Shagari worked assiduously to improve the livelihood of many poor and underprivileged people through the Green Revolution programme, which he initiated.

    “Our condolences to Nigerians, the Government and people of Sokoto State and Shagari’s family over the demise of the former president.

    “We commiserate with the entire Shagari village, the Sokoto Caliphate, and the Shagari family, over the loss of the ex-President.

    “On behalf of my family, the government and people of Delta State, I join the entire nation and the people of Sokoto State to mourn the passing of former President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, who was President in the Second Republic,” he said.

    The governor prayed the almighty God to receive his soul and grant his family the fortitude to bear the loss.

    NAN