6 days to inauguration, Okowa signs N71bn Supplementary Appropriation Bill

. History’ll be kind to you, Obaseki tells Delta Gov

Governor of Delta, Sen. (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa, on Monday in Asaba, signed a Supplementary Appropriation Bill of N71 billion approved by the House of Assembly barely six days to hand over on May 29.
The budget comprises N65.5 billion for capital expenditure and N5.6 billion as recurrent expenditure.

The governor also assented to eight other Bills –  Delta State Development and Property Authority Bill, 2022; Delta State Good Governance and Accountability Bill, 2022 and Delta State Sickle Cell Disorder Control Bill, 2023.

Others are High Court (Amendment) Bill, 2023; Delta State Thanksgiving Day Bill, 2023; Delta State Creative Industry Development Bill, 2023; Delta State Polytechnic Burutu Bill, 2023 and College of Health Science and Technology Bill, 2023.

In his remarks  at the ceremony, Okowa lauded the House of Assembly for its support and cooperation with the Executive in the past eight years.

“We have had a very robust House of Assembly and we will continue to remain proud of their achievements. Even in the last days of this administration, they have continued to work so hard to ensure good governance in the state by making appropriate legislation that will impact on the lives of our people.

“That is why this morning, you have witnessed the signing of several legislations that were passed by the House of Assembly. I want to use this opportunity to appreciate the Delta State House of Assembly for the great work that they did for us in the past eight years,” he said.

He commended the Speaker and Governor-elect and members of the Assembly for the stability in the legislative arm during the period.

“They were partners and we worked together to do the best that we can for the people of Delta State. Mr Speaker and Governor-elect and the other members of the House, I appreciate you for the great work and partnership.

“We have been a lucky set of people because all arms of government have worked together. I appreciate God for what He has been able to use us to do.

“There is no doubt that we came and saw what the previous administration did; we appreciated it and looked into areas where we thought the foundations were not fully built.

“And, we have continued to work together to build on the foundation that we all completed. I believe that foundation has been laid for more rapid development, going forward.

“So, I thank the people for working like brothers and ensuring that they considered Delta State first before personal interests.

“We are truly very happy that you achieved a lot in the course of duty and we believe that all the Bills that have been passed into law in the past, have been quite instructive in the good governance of Delta State.

“And, today, the Bills signed this morning show that we are setting the stage for a more justiceable and glorious Delta State,” Okowa stated.

Presenting the Bills earlier, the Speaker of the Assembly, Chief Sherrif Oborevwori, said that the Bills went through all legislative processes before they were passed.

He thanked the Governor and members of the House for their support and cooperation over the past six years he served as the  Speaker of the Assembly.

Addressing journalists shortly after the signing of the Bills, Oborevwori said he was eager to translate his experience from the legislature to the executive arm of government, assuring that with God on his side, his MORE Agenda would advance the state further.

“I am very happy today. You can see that even towards the very end of this administration, we are still here with nine bills. These are very important bills.

“We have a good House of Assembly that is eager to work. I was a Speaker in the 6th Assembly but the 7th Assembly, I commend them.

“It’s good that I am taking my experience as a Speaker to the executive arm of government. It gives me more opportunity to understand the state I want to govern in order to do well as a governor,” Oborevwori stated.

.History’ll be kind to you, Obaseki tells Delta Gov

In a related development, Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, said history would be kind to his Delta counterpart Sen. (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa, whose tenure as Governor would end on May 29, 2023.

He said that no matter what people thought about the Okowa administration, history had recorded the massive achievements of the Governor while in the saddle for eight years.

Obaseki spoke at a valedictory dinner held for the outgoing governor and his deputy, Mr Kingsley Otuaro,  at the Events Centre in Asaba on Sunday night.

He described Okowa as a unifier who had ensured that Edo and Delta remained united and for supporting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to victory in the 2021 Governorship election in the state.

“I am here to celebrate and thank God for the life of our own Chairman because he is the Chairman of the South-South Governors Forum.

“I want to thank God that you have kept the tradition, you have played your own part, you have run your own session of the race. You inherited a Delta that is PDP and you are handing on a Delta that is PDP to your successor.

“You have done your part and that’s all you can do and we thank God for your wife and family that have been a pillar of support all through these eight years.

“People will have their own versions of history but history is history and history has recorded what you have achieved for your people in Delta State.

“I congratulate you and thank God for your life that as you move to the next phase of your calling, the Lord who has seen you through will be there to support you,” he stated.

Obaseki charged the Governor-elect, Chief Sheriff Oborevwori, to brace up for the challenges ahead and wished him well as he assumes office on May 29.

On his part, Governor Okowa who was very emotional on the night, thanked Deltans for giving him and his deputy the opportunity to serve the state for eight years.

He also commended the legislature and the judiciary as well as the civil service for their contributions to his administration’s success.

“There is no doubt that we had some happy moments but we also had some challenging moments. Several challenges came our way but God was with us all through.

“God was with us and He will be with you through your tenure,” he said.

The governor apologised to the people of Ayakoromo and the Ijaw nation for his inability to complete the Ayakoromo Bridge project, but assured that he had taken steps to ensure its prompt completion in no distant time.

“I must publicly apologise for our failure to deliver the Ayakoromo bridge during my tenure.

“The previous contactor somehow slowed us down and not until last year we found out that if we needed to succeed, that contractor had to be exited from that project and we were able to talk with him and it has now been re-awarded to Setraco Nigeria Limited.

“We have done the initial phase of mobilisation which is about N2 billion but the full mobilisation ought to be about N4.1 billion

“By God’s grace, and talking with the Governor-elect, by next week we will have to pay the balance N2.1billion so that they can move on fully to the Ayakoromo Bridge and get it completed.

“I apologise and ask for patience of not only the people of Ayakoromo but all Ijaws who had felt that bridge ought to be completed. It is not our own deliberate fault, it was because of the non-performance of the contractor.

“I thank God for Levant Nigeria Limited for what I see on Sector A of the Ughelli-Asaba road. From Ughelli to Oleh to Ozoro, I can see the pace of work and I thank God that we were able to repudiate the initial contract and to reaward it to Levant Nigeria Limited,” Okowa stated.