By Jumai Nwachukwu
DELTA State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, has expressed strong support for the Direct Labour Agency (DLA) and its testing laboratory, emphasizing the importance of quality assurance and control in materials used by contractors across the state.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of three-day retreat titled: ‘Repositioning the Delta State Direct Labour Agency for Better Performance in line with the MORE AGENDA’, Governor Oborevwori, who was represented by the Commissioner for Urban Renewal, Hon. Michael Anoka, urged the DLA to uphold strict quality control standards for construction materials.
Oborevwori praised the new leadership of the DLA for their efforts to reinvigorate the agency, describing their fresh ideas as essential for improved effectiveness, performance, and service delivery.
He reiterated his administration’s zero tolerance for poor-quality jobs and highlighted the establishment of the Central Soil, Asphalt, and Concrete Testing Laboratory as a key initiative to ensure the proper testing and certification of materials used in state projects.
The governor also encouraged retreat participants to embrace the core values of the agency, which align with the goals of the MORE AGENDA.
In his address, the Director-General of the DLA, Chief Emmanuel Ighomena, thanked Governor Oborevwori for revitalizing the agency and ensuring it delivers quality service to the people of Delta. He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to supporting the MORE Agenda through the development of road infrastructure across the state’s three senatorial districts.
Ighomena emphasized the agency’s capacity to ensure the quality construction of roads by certifying materials at the newly established testing laboratory.
He also called for the mandatory use of asphalt from the reactivated asphalt plants in Agbor and Oghara by contractors working in the state.
Ighomena further encouraged participants to take full advantage of the retreat’s educational opportunities to help reposition the agency for greater success.
In his goodwill message, Hon. Kenneth Oboro-Preyor, Chairman of the House Committee on Works and representative of the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, stressed the need for active participation by the DLA in material testing and project monitoring during road construction.
