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As He Receives Prayers, Royal Blessings
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Advocates Support For Tinubu, Other APC Candidates
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Also Assures Of Reactivation of Burutu, Warri Ports
The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has assured the Ijaw Nation that he would complete the construction of the Ayakoromo Bridge Project which has been abandoned by the outgoing Ifeanyi Okowa’s administration when voted to become the next governor of the state in 2023.
He also promised to connect the Ijaw nation to the national power grid as well as ensure the passing into law of the bill establishing the Federal Maritime University, Okerenkoko and link the same with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, (NIMASA) for proper funding.
Senator Omo-Agege who is the Delta State’s All-Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for the 2023 election, gave the assurances when he paid a courtesy visit to the Ijaw Traditional Rulers Forum at the Effurun home of the Forum’s chairman, HRH King Dr Joseph Timiyan, yesterday (27/10/22), to intimate the monarchs of his governorship aspiration, and to seek for their blessings.
The Senator who represents Delta Central in the Senate, while observing that the Ijaw Nation has become worse off in the past seven years, promised to transform the lives of the people of the area, adding that he would create employment and also engage and consult with the traditional rulers regularly to know the needs of the people.
According to him, he is currently working, in collaboration with his colleagues in the National Assembly, to ensure that the Bill setting up the Federal Maritime University, Okerenkoko, is passed into law to provide a legal framework for the institution, as well as link it with NIMASA to provide regular and adequate funding.
He said: “The Federal Maritime University, Okerenkoko, is a specialized institution, just like the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun which was also one of the first bills I passed into law when I became a Senator in 2015.
“We are working very hard right now with NIMASA authority to do proper funding of that institution just like the Maritime Academy in Oron that is enjoying five per cent of NIMASA revenue.
“As regarding electrification of Ijawland as has been pointed out by the former Minister, Elder Godsday Orubebe, it is a commitment I’m making to you today, to push and extend the 33KV power line from Ughelli to Bomadi and to open up Ijawland with electricity.
“Also, regarding the completion of the Ayakoromo Bridge as mentioned by the former Minister, it is unfortunate that it is only in Delta State where roads are constructed for a period of 20 to 24 years before they are completed. Whereas in other States in the Niger Delta which are equally well-endowed like Delta, roads are constructed within 9 months to 12 months. I mean it doesn’t just add up.
“So, for this Ayakoromo Bridge, I want to commit to you that I would complete it. I won’t allow the construction of that bridge to exceed my administration to the next. This much I can assure you.
Senator Omo-Agege also gave a commitment to the royal fathers to always regularly engage and consult them as custodians of the culture and welfare and needs of the people.
“The interest of the Ijaw Nation is in your hands. Going forward, God willing and with your support, if I emerge the governor of this state, we will sit down with you, we will come and consult with you and you will tell us what you want for yourselves and your people. We will work with you on how the resources we are going to deploy to the Ijaw nation will be applied.
“On the challenge of unemployment, we know the solution. We will address the insecurity problem, and the moment we do that, all the companies that fled these areas will come back and jobs will be created for our people”, Omo-Agege said.
The Deputy President of the Senate used the occasion to also assure on how he will attract more federal presence to the Ijaw nation, urging them to vote massively for the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, in the forthcoming election, adding that an APC-controlled federal government will ensure the rehabilitation and reactivation of the Burutu, Warri and Koko Sea Ports.
“In addition to that, Your Majesties, we intend to work with the federal government, God willing, a government led by Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, because he is one of us, he is our son, if we have a Federal government led by him, I can commit to you, that this issue of reactivation of Burutu Port, the Warri Port and the Koko Port, with his emergence as President, this is something we can do. I don’t need to overstress the importance and the benefits that will accrue to the economy of Delta South if we are able to pull this through.
“So, Your Majesties, for us to achieve this, we need your support, beginning first with the national elections, an election of the President, a president of our own. Our own in the sense that, it is the turn of us in the South to produce the next president. I’m sure you will make your judgement when the time comes. No normal human being will choose to have a vice president position when he is offered the position of president. So, we need your support.
“In addition, we are also going to elect members of the National Assembly. So, I’m appealing that, in addition to supporting Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu for president, we should also support our Senatorial candidate for Delta South, Joel Onowhakpo Thomas. He is also your son. We also have our House of Reps candidate for Bomadi and Patani Federal Constituency, Mr George Tamunowei and our candidate for Burutu federal Constituency, Dr Abotu. We plead for your support for them.
“For me, very important to me, by God’s grace, if I emerge the governor of Delta State, I will need members of the State House of Assembly who will help me implement this agenda because I know if you don’t have the majority of the members in the House, they can frustrate all your efforts.
“So, I plead with you, as you support me, you should also support the candidates of the APC who are running for the State House Assembly in the Ijaw nation starting first with Patani where we have our candidate, Barr. R.B. Guanah. You all know him. You know if he goes there, he will serve Patani Constituency with distinction and he will protect the interest of the Ijaw nation.
“For Warri South West, we have Clement Tekedor, in Burutu we have Alabala, in Bomadi, Kingsley Mutu – all for the House of Assembly. I made all above commitments on my behalf myself and all the APC candidates.
“I have come today to plead with you. Don’t look at my face, I just want to ask: is the Ijaw nation better off under the Okowa-led administration than it was eight years ago? If it is worse off than it was eight years ago, then consider me and I will be there for you, I will be there for the traditional rulers, I will be there for the Ijaw nation”, Omo-Agege concluded.
Responding, the Ebenanaowei of Ogulagua Kingdom and Chairman, Ijaw Traditional Rulers Forum, HRH King Dr Joseph Timiyan praised Senator Omo-Agege for his strategic interventions within and outside his constituency, adding that he remains a shining light of the Urhobo nation.
Of note, he said the Federal Polytechnic Orogun and Nigerian Law School in Orogun would be of immense benefit to Ijaw students, as it would bring education closer to them.
Traditional rulers from over 10 Ijaw Kingdoms attended the event.
He said: “From your interventions in the Senate and in your constituency in particular, some of us will even think you are part of the Executive. Some of these are what the Executive is supposed to do for us. So, if you are elected as governor, we know you will do better.
“We will call on our God to choose the best for us. And this is the prayer we are going to offer to you. The almighty God will be behind you. The Ijaw gods will be behind you. Because the Ijaws also have their spirits behind them”.
He urged him to go round the Ijaw communities to have a first-hand experience of what the people of oil-producing communities are going through.
“You will also see for yourself our production quantum from oil that is taking care of the nation. Go to all the Ijaw Kingdoms and campaign so that when you are on board you already have first-hand knowledge of what these people are lacking”, he added.
The royal blessings and prayers were offered by HRM Pere of Seinbiri Kingdom, Pere Charles Ayemibotu who blessed and wished him well.
