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By Godslove Preye

The attention of the MORE Reality Group, MRG, has been drawn to a couple of articles which recently circulated on several online platforms. The first was a self explanatory epistle titled: “Assessing the Governor’s Response to Deltans’ Suffering: A critical Look at The MORE Agenda of Governor Oborevwori” which concluded that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has not done much to alleviate the “sufferings” of Deltans, while the second was an OPEN LETTER to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori written by one Otiti Akpovoke in which he, apparently assuming the role of public commentator, noted thus: “…..the people of Delta State, have been disappointed by past leaders since 1999 due to poor governance and selfish management of resources. We urge you to change this narrative and prioritize our pressing needs.

“Instead of focusing on flyovers, bridges, and stadiums, we implore you to address the following: 1. Provide electricity to power our homes and businesses. 2. Introduce transport buses to facilitate easy movement. 3. Construct low-cost housing schemes to shelter our people,” the letter advised.

Interestingly, both articles bear the imprimatur of Akpovoke Otiti, an incorrigible, unrepentantly pugnacious writer, mendacious coward and administrator of a copycat online news portal and whose stock in trade is to regularly and surreptitiously provoke unnecessary traction and attention by dredging up wild, amateurish, puerile and of course kindergarten criticism of the Oborevwori administration.

We have noted unfortunately that in his warped attempt, as it would seem this time, to evoke populist sympathy especially viewed against the strangulating economic bondage and hapless condition that Nigerians across board are currently going through, he and his sponsors have irrationally suggested that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori is the reason for the hardship and suffering presently ravaging the land, while at the same time lacking the courage to apportion blame to the place where the accusing finger rightly should be pointing to: the APC-led Federal Government.

This is indeed the point of departure for us in the M.O.R.E. Reality Group and on this score, we are compelled to take a stand against the uncharitable and manipulative façade which initially attempted to genuinely make a case for Deltans, whereas behind the veil is the devious intent to latch on to the critical times that Nigerians are going through and launch a premeditated attack on the person of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and his M.O.R.E. Agenda. This is totally unacceptable.

Indeed, only a devious and diversionary propaganda stunt would lament the bitter reality that Nigerians suddenly found themselves reeling under an asphyxiating economic condition deployed by a clueless Federal Government, only for the purveyors to then seek shamelessly, to put the blame on a Governor who neither has the authority to determine the devaluation or floating of Nigeria’s national currency, the Naira, nor controls the removal of subsidy dynamics and the fixing of the price of fuel/petroleum products in the country.

It’s curious for us in the M.O.R.E. Reality Group how this writer, exposing his apparent lack of depth and understanding of governance and administration, failed to acknowledge that the M.O.R.E. Agenda has got nothing to do with the national economic policies of the All Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government of President Bola Tinubu, that is almost driving Nigerians to physical and psychological peril across all strata.

With his alarmist bent, the writer stated: “The people of Delta State are facing numerous challenges, and it is essential to evaluate the Governor’s efforts to alleviate their suffering. Unfortunately, it appears that the Governor’s MORE Agenda has not yielded tangible benefits for the citizens.

“Despite the promises and fanfare surrounding the MORE Agenda, many Deltans are yet to experience any positive impact. The Governor’s initiatives seem to be disconnected from the everyday struggles of the people, leaving them feeling neglected and disenfranchised.

“The question on everyone’s mind is: what has the Governor done to address the pressing issues affecting Deltans? The answer, sadly, is not much. The Governor’s policies and programmes have failed to provide meaningful relief, and the MORE Agenda has become a distant memory, with no tangible results to show for it.

“It is time for the Governor to reassess his priorities and develop a more effective strategy to address the suffering of Deltans. The people deserve better, and it is the Governor’s responsibility to ensure that his policies and programs meet their needs and improve their lives.”

It’s clear from the above, that the writer, for reasons best known to him and his cohort of arm chair critics, has decided to champion an unnecessary advocacy and cry wolf where there is none. A clue to this is that he failed to specify the “numerous challenges” he claims that people of Delta State are facing, which are not faced by citizens and indigenes of other states in the country.

He lied when he wrote: “Despite the promises and fanfare surrounding the MORE Agenda, many Deltans are yet to experience any positive impact” and the questions to ask him are these: Is the challenge of the high cost of food, drugs and other consumables the making of Delta state Government? Is the high cost of fuel that has made transportation cost to climb to the roof top, which has set off a terrible chain of suffering, hardship and suffocation on the people, the making of Delta state government and the M.O.R.E Agenda?

To even possess the audacity to mouth the uncouth and misleading claim that “many Deltans are yet to experience any positive impact of the MORE Agenda”…and “The governor’s initiatives seem to be disconnected from the everyday struggles of the people, leaving them feeling neglected and disenfranchised”, reveals that this fellow is completely out of touch and tune with the reality on ground and especially the consistent and concerted efforts of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to consolidate his connection with Deltans.

We will not glorify Akpovoke Otiti by joining issues with him on his delusional crusade, particularly on the silly, off handed dismissal of ongoing and completed legacy and life impacting infrastructural projects across the three Senatorial zones in the state, but we would like to inform him that over 5,000 Deltans have been empowered by the MORE Grant Scheme for petty traders, artisans, female entrepreneurs, as well as persons from poor and vulnerable households in the state; that the direct beneficiaries of Delta COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (D-CARES) Programme was upscaled from from 36,353 to 110,841, which depicts an increase of approximately 205 per cent on the initial figure of 36,353 beneficiaries; or even that the 4th Tranche of the D-CARES Programme which is expected to empower several thousands of Deltans wil soon be flagged off.

He should equally be reminded that the Governor Sheriff Oborevwori administration has not only successfully concluded the payment of the 2022/2023 bursary to 30,116 students of the state origin in Higher institutions across the country, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has also approved the year 2022/2023 Financial Assistance for Delta State indigenes in the seven Nigeria Law Schools across the country running into thousands.

There is no doubt that Governor Oborevwori is not only committed to the delivery of quality governance to Deltans, but has also matched his words with actions by advancing Delta, through providing human capital development that has direct impact on the lives of Deltans.

Let us further inform Akpovoke Otiti that even the Federal Government, recognizing the hardship it has inflicted on Nigerians, not only embarked on a palliatives distribution agenda, which Delta State has implemented judiciously with Governor Oborevwori himself flagging of the third phase of the distribution of food palliatives to the Poor and Vulnerable House Holds (PVHH), as well as widows and Persons with Disabilities (PWD) across the 25 Local Government Areas of the State.

This is in addition to the visit of the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu to perform the official flag off of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) Economic Empowerment Programme and activate the recapitalisation grants for 1,000 women petty traders in Delta State. And just recently, a total of forty female farmers across Delta State received grants worth N10 Million to boost their agro businesses, while 1,200 indigent households received food items from the wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and the Governor’s wife, Deaconess Tobore Oborevwori.

While Otiti deviously attempts to downplay Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s positive impact on the civil servants in the state, let us however place it on record that Delta State was arguably the first and amongst a handful of states in the country that paid the old minimum wage promptly and dutifully as and at when due and Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, in his usual meticulous and astute administrative leadership style, has given full assurance of the implementation of the new #70,000 minimum wage, once the enabling chart has been released by the Federal Government so that mistakes in implementation will be avoided.

Recall also that in the wake of fuel subsidy removal, the Delta State government approved a three-day working week for civil servants in a bid to cushion the effect of the draconian policy by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and followed it up with the approval of the payment of N10,000 monthly support to each worker for three months, from August 2023, to ameliorate the hardship on Deltans, which ran into millions of naira. Need we also mention that over 3,000 persons were taken off the unemployment market and employed as Teachers by the state government, yet some clowns will come to the public space and claim that Deltans are not feeling the positive impact of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s administration.

These of course are the official and formal programmes, but it is also germane to note that several empowerment programmes are being delivered by proxies of the Delta State Governor, including political office holders, top political leaders and statesmen, as well as major stakeholders across the state, to cushion the effects of the hardship and suffering which has no political party affiliation, but has affected both the high and mighty, the low, downtrodden, underprivileged and vulnerable.

MRG therefore calls on the author of the despicable attack on the Oborevwori administration not to be chicken hearted in attacking the Governor who Deltans acknowledge for his good deeds. Rather he should show guts in putting the blame for the suffering of Nigerians squarely on the door post of the APC-led Federal Government of President Tinubu who the generality of Nigerians have identified as running a bad government that is choking Nigerians today.

Journalists, online news platforms and bloggers have also times without number, called attention to what the Government is doing to ensure that health facilities in the state are top notch and it is in record that the Delta State Contributory Health Programme has already enrolled over 2 million Deltans with the prospects of more enrolees coming on board in the years ahead, thus guaranteeing comprehensive health coverage for millions of Deltans.

In the area of sports development, the National Youth Games hosted back to back by Delta State has already commenced with no fewer than 5,776 athletes and several thousands of accompanying officials converging in Asaba for the event. There’s no gainsaying the fact that Asaba will be a thriving, bubbling hub of human and commercial activities, with traders already expressing great optimism and excitement about the huge potentials which the #NYGAsaba2024 will unleash both as a sporting spectacle and as an extravaganza of the celebration of humanity and bonding.

Governor Oborevwori clearly underscored that sponsorship of sporting events, which has not only unearthed star athletes like the globally renowned Favour Ofili, but was a worthwhile investment in keeping youths with sporting talents together and focused in their endeavours to become stars.

As for his admonition to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori that: “Instead of focusing on flyovers, bridges, and stadiums, we implore you to address the following: 1. Provide electricity to power our homes and businesses. 2. Introduce transport buses to facilitate easy movement. 3. Construct low-cost housing schemes to shelter our people,” we wish to just inform Mr. Otiti that the Governor has only just completed one year in office and we in the MRG are fully confident that the Sheriff Oborevwori we know will not only take this suggestion on advisement, but will surely act in good faith with the interest of Deltans at heart as the administration’s MORE Agenda unfolds, especially with the exciting prospects of the introduction of CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) and EV (Electric Vehicles), which is top in the consideration of the state government; the commencement in July this year, of the construction of 250 housing Units by the Federal Govt in Ekpan Community, Uvwie LGA in fulfilment of the Renewed Hope Housing Estate Project, to be completed in three months, for which the state government provided 25 hectares of land with Certificate of Occupancy, in favour of the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, to support the project; as well as leveraging on the new legislation on power generation, to enhance the development of sustainable energy through mini-power projects like the already commenced Ceesolar $395,000 Niger Delta Power Project, and the anticipated collaborations with private investors for more solar powered mini-grids to add to the already inaugurated 91kWp solar powered mini-grid in Okpokunou community in Burutu Local Government area of Delta State, in the collective effort to address the pressing challenges of power and electricity, going forward. These are just a few of the very robust initiatives which the Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s administration is vigorously but strategically implementing in the three sectors of Transportation, Housing and Power.

M.O.R.E. Reality Group therefore condemns in strong terms, the claims that the Oborevwori administration has not done much to address pressing issues, because from all the facts already stated above, the Governor has painstakingly, steadily, strategically and systematically addressed the issues of meaningful development, opportunities for all, realistic reforms or enhanced peace and security, all encapsulated in the MORE Agenda.

Governor Sheriff Oborevwori is indeed working, and Deltans are seeing it.

■ Mr. Godslove Preye, is National Coordinator, M.O.R.E Reality Group.