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Mr. Charles Aniagwu, Delta’s Information commissioner, left, with the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Olise Ifeajika.

Journalists have been called upon to play up the rules that govern electioneering campaigns against those who have thrown caution and discipline to the winds by engaging in open electioneering campaign when the Independent national Electoral Commission (INEC) has not blown the whistle for 2023 campaigns to start.

Delta’s Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, made the appeal this afternoon, Wednesday, January 15, 2020 at a press briefing where he restated the state government’s commitment to focus on achieving the tenet of the Sronger Delta agenda .

Flanked by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Olise Ifeajika, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Paul Osahon and the Director of Information, Mr. Dona Obuse in the Conference Hall of the Ministry of Information, Asaba on the activities of government, he decried the attitude of those with inordinate ambitions for political elective offices and engaged attack dogs as blackmailers said: “We believe that they think when the administration is distracted the SMART Delta Agenda will lose focus but that cannot happen. The administration will not be distracted by such antics. The government is going with focus on service delivery.

“Moves by these individuals is to weaken our faith as an administration in keeping faith with Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s election promises; while they are politicking, the governor is not going to be distracted. They want to raise allegations against the governor, his family and anyone that is close to him, using blackmail, but the government will not lose its focus as it is committed to the stronger Delta Agenda which involves strengthening and deepening the development of the state.
“We are in a democratic regime nobody will be shot up but we will not be distracted. We can only plead to individuals to come and join us. Some are planning to contest in 2023 and are being used to cause distraction, but this administration will stay focused,” Aniagwu said.

Speaking, Mr. Ifejika, advised Journalist to point out the rules of INEC to any individual who want to cause distraction for this administration, saying that their job as Journalists was to speak positively concerning the government.

Addressing the issue of workers in the state, the Commissioner revealed that no worker was sacked in 2015, but rather the process was aborted/suspended because they have not come into the payroll, saying that the government made it clear that the screening process will be done in batches, adding that no gain saying that some leaders were left behind.

He disclosed that a good number of those suspended in 2015 have been empowered under the entrepreneurial programme, adding that many are now employer of labour.

Speaking on the issue of erosion, the Commissioner stated that it would be uncharitable to think that all the campaign promises would be fulfilled within 7 months in office while assuring them that the erosion problem in Agbor would be tackle soon.

The commissioner also revealed that the issue of building and reconstruction of schools would not be entertained at once, saying that it would be based on the resources available.

He stressed that no school would be abandoned as the 2020 budget will entertain massive reconstruction and building of schools while pleading to private individuals to assist the government in any way they can.

The Commissioner revealed that a Teachers Training Centre has been established in the state to train/retrain teachers to ensure quality delivery of education, adding that any teacher who refused to take the advantage will be undoing him/herself.

He stated that the consequential agreement on the new minimum wage was reached in October 2019 saying that the Federal Government formula has been adopted to pay workers.