By Sunday Egede
Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, yesterday, said he would hold town hall meetings across local government areas in the state as part of his administration’s strategic engagements with the people.
He also said his administration was working to ensure every local government benefited from massive road construction with the provision of no fewer than N1billion for roads in each local government area in the 2024 budget.
Governor Oborevwori disclosed this when he received on courtesy visit, the State Executive of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), led by Rev. Lucky Osagbakhoe at Government House, Asaba.
He lauded the leadership of CAN for the visit, adding that it was an eloquent testament to the strong partnership between the government and faith-based organisations in the state.
He also commended the fathers of faith for their steadfastness and the commitment of church leaders who had continued to uphold the government and Deltans in their prayers and supplications to God, saying “the prayers of the Church have been a stabilising force for the government of Delta State.”
Governor Oborevwori, who was responding to calls for town hall meetings, said “we know it is necessary and we are doing a lot to touch all the local government areas so that when we hold the town hall meetings, we have things to showcase to them. “A lot of projects are going on across the state and in each local government area, we made the provision of not less than N1billion in the 2024 budget for road construction.”
On the issue of high cost of living, he said “we have been doing a lot of empowerment programmes in the past few months. A few weeks ago, we did the MORE grant where we empowered 5,000 persons. “A few days ago, too, we flagged off the distribution of fertiliser and other agricultural inputs to over 6,000 persons in Delta State. “The hard times we are facing now are not peculiar to Delta State, but when you compare what we are doing in Delta with other states and with our huge work force, you will see that we are doing our best.
“We are doing a lot of engagements because if we were not doing that, during the last End bad Governance protests, you would have seen something different.
“This is because Delta State was among the flash point states that was expected to have problems. We could see that there was no protest here yesterday because we are dialoguing and we believe in dialogue, rather than confrontation.
“I want to solicit again that you continue to put the government, both at the national and sub-national levels, in prayers because, prayers are very necessary for leaders to focus and think very well on how to provide good governance for the people.”
Earlier, the State Chairman of CAN, Rev. Lucky Osagbakhoe, who congratulated Governor Oborevwori on his victory at the 2023 gubernatorial poll and subsequent victories at various courts, told him that they were in Government House on a courtesy visit.
He disclosed that the Delta State Chapter of CAN had existed for many years, adding that the association had been making very useful contributions to the peace, progress, unity and the development of the state through her leadership structure.
According to him, Delta State Chapter of CAN would, by the special grace of God, continue to work towards promoting unity in the body of Christ in the state and throughout the country at large.
He applauded the governor for his administration’s urban renewal drive, especially through road construction and reconstruction, adding that members of the association were pleased with the infrastructural development initiative of his administration.
“We, also, like to acknowledge your administration’s peace building efforts, economic recovery and social safety nets and many other developments in the state,” the Christian cleric said, even as he harped on the need for the governor to have town hall meetings in the three senatorial districts of the state to enable him feel the pulse of the people.
