Okowa tasks govt officials on policy formulation, implementation

By Dave Okpogadie, Asaba

Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi  Okowa, has called on top government officials in charge of policy formulation and implementation to remain focused in the discharge of their duties.

Governor Okowa made the call while declaring a two-day retreat organised for top government functionaries closed at the Unity Hall, old Government House, Asaba.

According to him, the call had become necessary as it would immensely go a long way in enabling his administration finish strong in delivering dividends of democracy to Deltans.

Okowa who said the politics of year 2023 would not derail his developmental effort for Deltans, advised all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to offer suggestions that would keep the state in tandem with modern trend in terms of sustainable development.

He said his cardinal goal in the remaining 14 months of his administration was to leave lasting legacies and not to embark on projects without direct impact on the lives of the people.

According to the Governor, anybody in the cabinet with political ambition should resign so as not to derail the government from meeting its set developmental targets for Deltans.

“A lot of people are already being distracted because of politics, there is no doubt as to that. Some of us are resigning to go and run elections and l wish everybody well.

“But for those of us who are not resigning, we must understand that we need to stay focused. They should stay with the tide of governance.

“I want to advise us that we must understand that as long as we are in government, we should remain focused on achieving the goal to the end and try to ensure the success of the administration that we are working; that must be our priority.

“Politics is supposed to be secondary. So, we must be cautious of what we do. I am not insisting that everybody must work along with me but in the governance process, you must stay focused, otherwise, you also have the right to turn in your paper that you may not be able to go along with me, and l will gladly receive it,” he said.

The Governor lauded the wealth creation office for toeing the policy direction of his administration and promised to do more in skills development and empowerment.

Senator Okowa reminded project monitoring office of the need to sustain its monitoring efforts to enable the state government finish all ongoing projects before embarking on new ones.

Okowa disclosed that all decisions taken since he assumed office as governor, were for the best interest of the state and not for personal interest.

“I was not crazy when I established three universities. I had a path way for Delta State. I am one who does not take accidental decision,” the Governor added.

The Governor who spoke on the contributory health insurance scheme of the state government, said he was quite glad about the successes recorded by the scheme.

He, therefore, called on government officials, politicians and other stakeholders to rally round his administration in taking the state to the desired destination.

In his remarks, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chief Patrick Ukah said the retreat was primarily organised to remind top government functionaries of their responsibilities and the need to assist in the finishing strong agenda of the Okowa led administration.

Chief Ukah commended the governor for providing the platform for participants to meet and cross fertilise ideas on ways to re-order the priority of the administration.

In his presentation during the retreat, Former Minister of Information, Mr. Frank Nweke (Jnr.) said policies must be people centred, adding that government should leverage on the use of technology to positively impact on the socio-economic well-being of the people.

Speaking on the topic titled “Plan Development And Implementation in Nigeria,” the Senior Policy Adviser to the governor, Prof. Sylvester Monye said the only way sustainable development could be achieved is through effective planning, pointing out that implementation was more important in the planning process.

“For you to have a successful plan, the people you are planning for must be involved in the planning. Nigeria has never embarked on a culture of performance management.

“I find the idea of this retreat very important. Everything that we have done in this administration is a product of effective planning,” he added.

In separate interviews, some of the participants including the Commissioner for Lands and Survey, Mrs. Kate Onianwa and her counterpart in Culture and Tourism, Mr. Lawrence Ejiofor, described the retreat as timely and promised to put in their best in the finishing strong agenda of the state government.

The ceremony featured questions and answers session.