THIRTY-THREE years on as a state, the government of Delta State is out to transform the economy of the state to a powerful sub-national economy distinguishable from all others. This is achievable in the next seven to 10 years, in our view, given the abundant natural and human resources the state is endowed with. Fortunately, the state is currently gifted with an administration led by Governor Sherriff Oborevwori that has an all-embracing agenda to further develop the state.
As a matter of fact, successive administrations in the state since 1999 have been laying the foundation for a greater and stronger Delta State, building socioeconomic infrastructure and human capital for sustainable transformation of the state. Today, the state has been enriched with good roads and bridges interconnecting various parts of the state, substantial number of secondary and tertiary educational institutions to produce more manpower, health institutions to cater for the health needs of the people and a pool of abundant professionals covering virtually all fields of human endeavor to drive the economic rejuvenation project.
The idea of economic revamping of the state implies massive industrialization of the sub region. But the first step towards achieving this noble objective is the electrification of the state through a state-owned Independent Power Project (IPP). This is outside what the national grid provides, which is grossly inadequate even for domestic consumption. This is what is happening in Abia State where Professor Barth Nnaji is leading his team of engineers to build an IPP for the entire state.
As one of the richest states in the country, Delta State has the financial muscle to fund its own IPP. Setting the machinery in motion and possibly accomplishing the task would be an everlasting legacy of the Oborevwori administration. We perceive that as soon as the ball is set rolling, private sector interests would want to identify with such lofty developmental stride. With national public energy supply ever convulsing and delivering epileptic supplies, it is obvious it cannot be of tangible use in the quest to industrialize Delta State.
The huge agricultural potentials of the state provide a mouth-watering, alluring opportunity to embark on industrializing the state. The state has arable land for the cultivation of various kinds of food and economic crops. They include cassava, maize, yam, potato, rice, tomato, plantain and banana, pineapple and assorted vegetables; oil palm, citrus fruits, rubber, cocoa, etc. The land is fertile and conducive for livestock and fish farming.
While existing and potential farmers need more motivation to expand their agricultural ventures, there is need to broaden the sphere of large scale mechanized farming across the state. Produce from the farms while providing primary food for consumers would be sources of raw materials on a sustainable basis for agro-based industries that are to be part of the industrialization agenda. A tour round the big super markets in the cities and townships would reveal on their shelves array of farm outputs and agro-industrial products from other lands that can be produced right here in Delta State.
With a reliable IPP, the state would have laid a solid foundation for the establishment of manufacturing enterprises covering a wide range of products. A fashion-crazy populace, investors would have unrestricted opportunity, for instance, to establish garment, shoe and bag production companies. Many more investment opportunities would be open to private investors and corporate individuals. If achieved, the state would be overflowing with amazingly profitable micro, small and medium enterprises, complementing the services of the corporate giants.
It’s our sincere view that the incumbent, Oborevwori’s administration, should take advantage of the electricity liberalization via the recent Electricity Act 2023, which allows each state to establish and operate its own energy outfit, to commence in earnest the construction of a Delta State-owned IPP. This would quicken the pace of the industrialization of the state, create countless employment opportunities and trigger an unprecedented boom in the economy of the state. The benefits would be humongous.
