WHAT DTSG N15.7B WUEDA FUND SAYS ABOUT OBOREVWORI’S WARRI REKITTING AGENDA

BY MONDAY UWAGWU

AT his inauguration into office as the fifth elected Governor of Delta State (after Chief Felix Ibru, Chief James Ibori, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan and Senator Dr.Ifeanyi Okowa), the Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, minced no words when he said before a galactic ensemble of Deltans, that he would prioritise the development of Warri and its environs, without prejudice to the sustainable development needs of other parts of the state.

Obviously, the public pledge regarding the retrofitting of Warri and its environs is premised on the strategic place of that part of the state with regard to its economy, and the fact that, for still unclear reasons, less than adequate attention had been paid to the area for long, following which it had, in practical effect, become an urban slum. It is in part response to this fact of the area becoming a slum that the Okowa administration set up the Warri/Uvwie and Environs Development Agency (WUEDA), to tackle the special development needs of that vicinity.

WUEDA, which is a special purpose development vehicle modelled after the Delta State Capital Territory Development Agency (DTSCTDA), is now headed by Prince Godwin Ejinyere as Director-General(DG) and is now largely responsible for the common place development of the oil-rich Warri and Effurun axis of the state.

In fulfillment of his public vow to regenerate Warri and its environs, Governor Oborevwori has taken some initiatives, the last of which is the government ‘ s approval of a N15.7billion fund for the funding of WUEDA. The amount is to be devoted to the third phase of the ongoing flood and related erosion control programme in the area.

Breaking news of this development, the state Commissioner for Information, Dr. Ifeanyichukwu Osuoza, flanked by the DG of WUEDA, Prince Ejinyere, the Chief Press Secretary to the state governor, Olorogun Festus Ahon, and the Commissioner for Works,(Highways and Urban Roads), Comrade Reuben Izeze, said the approval was made by the State Executive Council (EXCO), presided over by Governor Oborevwori himself.

According to Osuoza, the fund is to be devoted to the third phase of the ongoing flood control programme in the Warri axis of the state.

As it is said, the rest is history.

The disclosure by Commissioner Osuoza (who was briefing the press on the decisions of the first session of EXCO he attended as Commissioner in charge of Information) is significant in many ways.

First , it is a tribute to continuity, having regard to the fact that both WUEDA and its flood control programme in and around Warri predate the Oborevwori administration; both were initiated by the immediate past administration of Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, and the fact of their seamless sustenance by the current government underlines the fact of their strategic public value and represents a befitting tribute to the principle and philosophy of continuity in government projects and programmes deemed beneficial to the public.

A second element of the significance of the decision of the Oborevwori administration is that, both in real and symbolic terms, it represents a definite effort of the governor to live out the import of his inaugural vow to rekit Warri and its environs, without prejudice to the development needs of the rest of the state.

In fact, the Osuoza’ s announcement of the decision of the state government via EXCO, is, in effect, a definite attempt by the governor to further drive home, in fulfillment, his inaugural vow, which, in a way, has become a significant part of the inviolable sacrament of his social contract with Deltans as is inherent in his election mandate.

His first step in that direction was the signing of an approximately N78 billion contract with German construction giant, Julius Berger, for the construction of flyover bridges, a clover leaf project and road expansion in and around Warri. That singular move, historic in a plethora of ways in the annals of the state, signalled the efforts of the Oborevwori government to move his inaugural vow from the realm of rhetoric to practical reality. Happily, Julius Berger has since rolled to site, to the elation of Deltans, following its mobilization by the government. Based on the contract terms, all of the projects captured under the same envelope are expected to be delivered in December of next year.

That is point number one.

Then followed the second testament to the Oborevwori vow to rekit Warri and its environs: receiving Deltans representing various constituencies in the National Assembly (NASS), in Asaba, Oborevwori pledged to make the Warri Stadium a world-class facility. The design for the retrofitting work, at the instance of the state government, is already ongoing at the stadium which, together with the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba, and that of the Delta State University of Science and Technology , Ozoro, constitute the flower of such specific sports facilities in the state. That work is already ongoing to eventually retrofit the stadium at the instance of the Oborevwori government is a piece of great news, but this is made more cheery by the fact of his public vow in that direction (before NASS members, who are part of the cream of the state’s political elite), thus depicting missionary commitment to the set goal.

The third segment or tier of the governor’s dedication to his inaugural vow to rekit Warri, Effurun and environs relates to the recent Osuoza disclosure to the effect of the approval by the state government, via EXCO, to fund WUEDA with N15.7billion for the third phase of the flood control measures in and around Warri and Effurun.

According to the WUEDA DG, Prince Ejinyere, the first phase of the measures has been completed, while phase two is 85 per cent done.

As I said in a preceding paragraph, though WUEDA and the programme predate the Oborevwori administration, their sustenance is both a testimony to his abiding faith in continuity and also their overall relevance to the public. This conviction is further driven home by the fact of the handsome volume of the vital resource of money -N15.7billion at a time of grave competition from other sectors- that the administration is committing to it. This is clear evidence of uncommon devotion to that great cause.

In all, all three tiers of the initiatives of the Oborevwori to the cause of rekitting Warri and its environs tell a story of the desire of the administration to restore the strategic axis to its once enviable status as the economic live wire of the state and its social seat and cultural melting pot. This, perhaps, is the reason that the choice of projects is instructive: while the anti-flood measures will help reduce storm water and the associated erosion, the stadium will help restore sports , particlularly football, hopefully to the now lost era of the famous McDermot Football Club, while the roads and bridges, aside of enhancing access and aesthetics, will be the conveyor belt that will attract legion other indices of modern civilization and development.

As it is said in ancient Africa, it takes only a deluge to end aeons of rainlessness and the related aridity and famine: Oborevwori, by his laudable actions, has triggered the deluge and it is only a matter of time before Warri and its environs will return to the days of plenty, flourish and relevance.
That day is not in the clouds, and on that day, Oborevwori will have his place on the podium of honour for his efforts in restoring health and vitality to the strategic geographic belt of Warri.

Uwagwu, is a public affairs analyst and former Editor, General Manager of Pointer Newspaper, Asaba, Delta state.