A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Chairman of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria Export Promotion Group (MANEG), Chief Omueya Dafinone has given reasons for throwing his hat in the ring for the party senatorial ticket in Delta Central.
Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo Agege who is currently gunning for the ruling party’s ticket currently occupy the position.
In his declaration statement, Dafinone, a member of the Board of NEXIM Bank who eulogized Omo Agege for his good work at the senate explained that he was running to sustain, consolidate and build on the good work of the deputy senate president as a representative of the people of Delta Central Senatorial district and the Urhobo Nation.
The industrialist said: “In just seven years in the senate, Omo Agege has pursued his vision to restore Urhobo greatness and improve the lives of all Delta Central Senatorial District residents with a sense of urgency and he did the hard work to make that vision a reality.
“He offered us effective and quality representation in the hallowed chambers of the Nigerian Senate and raised the bar on legislative representation to a new level.
“The gains of the last 7 years are great and visible to all of us in terms of projects, sound legislations and empowerment of Urhobos, these are legacy achievements that will transform Urbobo land for many years to come.
He promised to build on and improve on the legacy of Omo Agege, adding:“Today, after consulting with my family, party leaders, critical stakeholders in Urhoboland and my associates, I purchased the Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms for Senate on the platform of All Progressives Congress, APC to serve the people of Delta Central Senatorial District and the Urhobo Nation in the 10th Senate.”
Dafinone continued, saying that he was running with the hope that the people of Delta Central Senatorial District will allow him to deploy his knowledge and experience as a Chartered Accountant, a successful business mogul and as a philanthropist which has prepared him to hit the ground running with an understanding of the issues that matter most to Delta Central and Nigeria.
He added: “In offering myself to represent our people, I am mindful of their expectations and needs which I understand very well, having served in various committees of the Urhobo Progress Union, UPU, whenever I am given the privilege to contribute my quota to the advancement of Urhobo Nation. I am currently chairman of the Sapele Okpe Community Land Trust Association. Trustee of Okpe Union and Treasurer and Trustee of the Okpe Leaders of Thought.
“Today, I’m even more committed to serving our people and contributing to the progress of Urhoboland. So, as the next senator representing Delta Central Senatorial District, I won’t avoid any challenges, and I’ll put Delta Central and Urhobo Nation first in all of my decisions.
“At the heart of the challenges, we face as a district and a country is the urgent need for jobs for our people, especially women and youths, as well as insecurity that is threatening our way of life.
“In the past six years through the Dafinone foundation, I have been running social and community projects to provide scholarships for post-graduate education, disburse micro-credit loans to women and support the development of vocational skills within Delta State and over 2000 persons have been empowered through this intervention.
“This requires a vibrant, diversified economy with a strong manufacturing base. And the task of our time is to seek bold new ideas, create the urgently needed jobs for our people and lift millions out of poverty.
“We must also adopt an export-led industrialisation strategy to revitalize our manufacturing base, agriculture, and help to create new jobs and economic growth.”
As an industrialist, he said that he will campaign tirelessly to promote Nigerian-made products and work to enact laws to create an enabling environment for the manufacturing sector to thrive.
He also pledged to work with colleagues in the red chambers if given the opportunity to enact a law that will make the federal government adopt a policy, to revitalize seaports in the south, particularly the Okwagbe deep-sea and Sapele ports so as to promote the export of produce from the Niger Delta area and also decongest Lagos port.
He expressed his determination to promote transparency and accountability in government financial management, environmental protection, the arts, gender equality, and women and youth empowerment.
As a senator, he said, “I will always work with all stakeholders to determine the best possible manner to represent the district.
