The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State has been called upon to ease its unwholesome and unrelenting acts of engaging in propaganda as a clever ruse to abortively win the people of the State to itself.
The call was made by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a Press Release signed by the State Publicity Secretary of the party, Dr. Ifeanyi Osuoza in response to an earlier one issued by one Mr. Pius Ituru, purportedly of the factional opposition party’s Directorate of Media and Publicity in the State, who, with animated delight, went on a pilgrimage of wild allegations and insinuations against the person of His Excellency, Senator, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa and his administration.
Dr. Osuoza said that no one is left in doubt about the legal implications of libel wrapped in the factional APC’s press release with the title: “RE-$1.68B DERIVATIVE ARREARS JUDGMENT OF THE FEDERAL HIGH COURT – DON’T LOOT OUR COMMON PATRIMONY- DELTA APC WARNS GOVERNOR IFEANYI OKOWA,” but stated that the so-called concern expressed in the APC press release betrays the fact that the party does not wish Delta State well.
“It shows that the APC would rather allow the State not to have the court victory and be denied its entitlement of the derivative sum due as arrears of revenue payable to the State,” Osuoza said, adding that it clearly depicts the opposition party as one that does not like the people of the State and their progress.
The PDP spokesman said: “Deltans are particularly happy and have given applause to the State government for diligently prosecuting the case to reverse the injustice meted out to us when, as a littoral oil-producing State, we were denied the benefit of what should by law accrue to us. It is therefore shocking and morally unacceptable that APC as a party is not happy about this.
“The APC in crying wolf where there is none, is already salivating about the court judgment that ordered the Federal Government to pay $1.638 billion oil revenue to Delta State, and developing brain waves about what possible use to put the money when the physical money has not yet been paid to the State.
“We make bold to tell the factional and dysfunctional party not to gloat over what it cannot have, and it should not bother about the use to which the State government will put the money.
”Indeed, it does not matter how much propaganda it dishes out disingenuously to hoodwink the people of the State into creating ill-feeling and bad blood with the go-getting Okowa-led PDP administration in the State, because the government has warmed itself well into the heart of the people who are benefitting from the good policy implementation of the State government.
“Deltans know the PDP government and Governor Okowa so well because of the turnaround that the administration has brought to the State through its well packaged five-point SMART agenda of “Strategic wealth creation, meaningful peace building platforms aimed at political and social harmony; Agricultural reforms & accelerated industrialization, Relevant health and education policies and transformed environment through urban renewal.
“And through the PDP administration’s intervention programmes, Deltans have enjoyed economic empowerment and wealth creation with the establishment of the Delta Micro, small & medium enterprises Development Agency; Job and wealth creation office, through skills acquisition, entrepreneurship development and youth empowerment.
“This has been the hallmark of the administration’s poverty reduction and employment generation agenda, and for which the Okowa administration has received accolades for reducing the poverty level in the State. ‘Women and youths have benefitted immensely from the government’s job creation programmes leading to the rating of the State as the second least poor people in the country.
“It is important here to also remind the clueless APC propagandists and spoilers that the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo visited the State and was led by Governor Okowa to an exhibition by the Job and Wealth Creation Bureau. Does this not show how awful the APC propagandist can be in the forlorn hope to falsely seek to misinform and dissuade Deltans from loving their governor and the PDP?
“Besides, the APC should be told that the size of Delta State’s economy has risen from 2.96 trillion naira in 2015 to 4.47 trillion naira in 2019, representing 51% after the impact of recession between 2015 and 2016 in Nigeria. This economic performance, which the APC will not acknowledge is the culmination of sound economic governance, fiscal and effective implementation of sector policies and programmes.
“On sectoral development, the PDP administration has taken Delta State a notch higher in the education sector, health, road infrastructure, transformed environment through urban renewal, sports, etc. The evidence of the impact made in these sectors are open secrets, but APC will shut its eyes because it has sworn never to want to see such and so it’s blinded not to see what the money is being spent on.
“The party is so blinded that it does not know that between 2015 and 2020 a total of 799 roads/drains, representing 1,577.8 kms in length, drains covering 908.8 kms, and that DESOPADEC did more than 67 roads covering 55.23km in length and 42 drains.
“For instance, APC does not want to believe that the State has almost the highest wage bill in the country, yet workers in the civil service are not being owed their salaries. The party concerns itself only with the mischief of making reference to pensioners, despite efforts made to explain that much has been done in paying pensioners their due, even though there are obvious constraints that the government has acknowledged and is still working hard to overcome.
“The APC should not try to play the Ostrich with its devious call on Deltans to be watchful on their loving PDP government in the State because the people know that PDP is Delta and Delta is PDP. Deltans know that they are enjoying prosperity in an emerging Stronger Delta.
“Maybe the following testimony will be of help to APC in appreciating the impact of what the PDP administration of Governor Okowa is doing among other things in the State. An online news medium reported recently the success story of a beneficiary of the Youth Entrepreneurship Programme (YAGEP). saying: “That the Delta State Government’s job creation programme has taken thousands of Delta youths off the streets by training and establishing them in vocational and agricultural enterprises of their choice is stating the obvious.
“Testimonies abound of their business successes across the State. One of such testifiers is YAGEPreneur Ezekiel Eromedoghene, the CEO of Ezekiel-Voh Agro Ventures. He enrolled in the Youth Agricultural and Entrepreneurs Programme (YAGEP) as a graduate of Agricultural Extension and Management from Delta State University, Abraka (DELSU.)
“Ezekiel is a goal-getter, focused, and an ambitious entrepreneur. From his initial establishment package, he has grown his business within four years. From the proceeds from his farm, he is fulfilling his dream. He now has an M.Sc. in Agricultural Extension and is currently studying for a Ph.D. in the same discipline in DELSU. To crown it all, he is married to a YAGEPreneur, Blessing, and their union is blessed with children. Hear him:
“Through YAGEP, I have obtained M.Sc. in Agricultural Extension and my Ph.D. is in view as a result of the opportunity and benefits gained from the programme. I decided to dedicate my resources to writing a thesis and to research on YAGEP in order to sell the programme across the globe. At present, I own 7,500 fishes in five tarpaulin fish tanks measuring 15×20 feet, having relocated from Anwai Fish Farm Cluster to a private land. I also make furniture to augment my income.
“’YAGEP turned my life around. Having graduated since 2012, I was unemployed till God used Governor Okowa to change my story to a testimony. I am here to testify because if I am to convert my starter pack to cash, it would have cost me ₦1.5m. When my set suffered from flood after establishment, Governor Okowa re-established us with the same quantity and quality of starter packs. I now live and pay house rent in Asaba because of YAGEP. I am able to take good care of myself and my family too. Interestingly, YAGEP gave me a wife, a YAGEPreneur in Crop Production.’
“Need we say more? Of course, the APC as usual has failed in its sworn agenda to bring the Delta PDP administration down with its shameless propaganda.”
Dr. Ifeanyi M. Osuoza
State Publicity Secretary,
PDP, Delta State.