…Appreciates Deltans For Embracing PDP
By Sunday Egede
Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, on Monday, charged the newly elected local government chairmen in the state to reciprocate the huge mandate given to them by the electorate by giving preference to the needs and aspirations of the people at the grassroots. Governor Oborevwori who gave the charge at the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected chairmen held at the Event Centre, Asaba, said they should leverage on the mandate given to them to deliver good governance.
He implored them to discharge their duties with sincerity of purpose, impartiality, compassion, fairness and justice, adding that they should work assiduously for the actualization of the MORE Agenda of his administration.
According to him, the new council chairmen should address the recurring problems of insecurity, poverty, unemployment and environmental decay in their respective local government areas across the state.
He congratulated them (newly-elected local government councils Chairmen) on their well-deserved victory at the polls, adding that their victory was a product of weeks of grassroots campaigning in which they took nothing for granted. The governor said he was glad that their efforts and that of the party, (the PDP) were rewarded at the July 13 local government elections by the majority of the electorate in the state who, he said, came out to exercise their civic rights to elect leaders of their choice.
He expressed profound appreciation to the good people of Delta State who, according to him, came out and voted in spite of the heavy downpour, adding that Deltans deserve commendation for their commitment and steadfast belief in the electoral process.
“I implore you to have regular meetings with Security Agencies in your areas of jurisdiction for the purposes of maintaining law and order. As we all know, security is a shared responsibility. “Hence, the generality of the people must also be involved in the process through periodic town hall meetings, in collaboration with the security agencies, to review the security situation and proffer strategies for keeping our communities safe and secure.
“As the third tier of government closest to the people, you need to improve the environmental sanitation in your communities. Our urban centres are riddled with filth as a result of improper waste disposal and poor sanitation habits of our people. “I would like to see you step up in this regard by devising proper waste disposal measures, while embarking on an aggressive public enlightenment campaign to educate our people on good sanitation habits,” the governor said. While saying that the Chairmen need money to run a successful administration, Governor Oborevwori disclosed that the statutory allocations for the last three months are intact, adding that they should hit the ground running by embarking on visible infrastructural projects that can be commissioned.
He urged them to shun wasteful spending and extravagant lifestyle, pointing out that their administrations should be characterised by modesty, fiscal discipline, prudent management, judicious allocation of resources and excellent project delivery. “As Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, we advocated for financial autonomy for the legislature and judiciary. The House also voted YES to Local Government autonomy during the Fifth Alteration of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Therefore, the Supreme Court judgment on financial autonomy for local government councils is a welcomed development. Actually, Delta State Government has never tampered with local government funds.
“Rather, the state government has often had to augment the allocations to the local government councils to enable them meet their financial obligations.
“Aside from statutory allocations, I expect you to improve on your Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and ensure it forms a sizable chunk of your revenue.
“However, I must caution that the need to boost your IGR must be carefully balanced with the needs and expectations of our people. You must be careful not to overtax an already burdened populace reeling under the painful effects of the current economic hardship,” he added.The governor applauded the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC) for ensuring that the voting process was seamless in line with his expectations for a free, fair and transparent election. “As someone who is the beneficiary of a credible electoral process, I have sworn to maintain that standard and I am glad DSIEC lived up to my expectations. The process was indeed free, fair and in line with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the 25 local government chairmen in the state, the Chairman of Oshimili North Local Government Council, Hon. Innocent Esewezie expressed appreciation to the electorate in the state for believing in them through the mandate given to them at the poll.
Hon. Esewezie, who lauded Governor Sheriff Oborevwori for providing the enabling environment that made DSIEC to conduct seamless local government elections in the state, assured the governor that they would not disappoint him and Deltans in delivering democracy dividends at the grassroots in line with his MORE Agenda for Deltans.
