I’m Vindicated of Criticism of Delta Govt ‘White-elephant Projects’ – Omo-Agege

Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) Senatorial Candidate for Delta Central, has said President Bola Tinubu’s warning to state governors against prioritising flyovers over people-focused infrastructure have vindicated his months of criticism of the Oborevwori administration’s spending priorities in Delta State.

In a statement issued Friday by Sunday Areh, his Media Adviser, Senator Omo-Agege said President Tinubu’s remarks to Oyo State traditional rulers at the Presidential Villa on Thursday spoke directly to concerns he has raised for months over how Delta State has utilised an alleged N3.5 trillion in revenue.

Tinubu had told the monarchs that governors should stop channelling resources into flyovers and instead direct their significantly increased federal allocations toward roads and infrastructure that improve citizens’ quality of life and give security agencies faster access to vulnerable communities. He noted that states now receive four to five times their previous allocations, leaving no excuse for the misapplication of public funds.

Senator Omo-Agege said the President’s comments mirrored the argument he has made since he began questioning why billions were being poured into flyovers in Warri, Effurun, Ughelli and Agbor while Deltans face hunger, insecurity and unemployment, a position he said drew attacks from the Delta State Government and what his aide described as “its vast army of media aides.”

“Truth has no party,” the statement read, with Senator Omo-Agege maintaining that he spoke as a Deltan concerned for his people, and that the President’s words now echo that concern on a national scale, lending fresh national weight to arguments long dismissed at home.

He put the cost of the flyover projects in the four towns at N177 billion, and said Primary Health Centres in the state lack drugs, schools are understaffed, and insecurity is worsening. He asked whether the projects meet the traffic and impact test the President has now set for governors nationwide, insisting that concrete alone cannot substitute for functioning hospitals and classrooms.

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Senator Omo-Agege demanded a full, audited account of the N3.5 trillion Delta State claims to have spent, questioning what it has delivered to “the ordinary man in the village.”

He issued three demands to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori: a transparent public-benefit and traffic-impact review of all flyover and infrastructure projects; full publication of expenditure details under the state’s MORE Agenda; and a shift in priority toward healthcare, education, security, agriculture and direct economic support for families, in line with the federal government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The statement renewed his pitch for the 2027 elections, with Senator Omo-Agege presenting his ticket alongside Dr. Chris Iyovwaye, the NDC’s governorship candidate, as offering leadership that measures success “by the lives it touches, not the ribbons it cuts.”

“History will record that Senator Ovie Omo-Agege stood with the people of Delta and spoke truth to power when it was inconvenient to do so,” the statement said, adding that Delta “deserves leadership that puts people before concrete.”