On-ondo-states-biggest-industrial-city-in-nigeria-with-15-companies-in-the-hub-poised-to-employ-20000-youths-a-slap-and-shame-on-delta-state-government
September 7, 2020 | News
ON ONDO STATE’S BIGGEST INDUSTRIAL CITY IN NIGERIA WITH 15 COMPANIES IN THE HUB POISED TO EMPLOY 20,000 YOUTHS – A SLAP AND SHAME ON DELTA STATE GOVERNMENT
It is indeed shameful, and a slap on the faces of South South’s Governors, especially that of Delta State Government, that while they are yearly busy building substandard political projects, sitting in long convoys, wasting public funds through their lifestyles, and undertaking endless groundbreaking projects with the media for political propaganda; other Governors are quietly changing and positively impacting the lives of many Nigerians from their regions.
These were my thoughts, when President Muhammadu Buhari recently commissioned (not groundbreaking) the Industrial Park in Ore, Ondo State. And as noted by stakeholders, the said industrial park was not only remarkable, but also unbelievable, considering the fact that such feat has never been attained by any of the States in the South-South which receives more federal allocation and revenue than other States across the country. in the words of a public affairs commentator, Ata Ikiddeh, he wondered (like many of us), “How in the world did Ondo State pull this off. Ondo State is one of the least affluent States in Nigeria!? How is it possible that a State that receives an average of N5b a month just built an industrial city and Mr. President just commissioned the mammoth project!? Meanwhile States that receive N15 to N20 billion monthly are struggling to finish road projects. How did a smart Ondo State Governor enter a deal with the city of Linyi in Shanghai China, and made it an Ondo State’s partner city? Finally, how was Ondo State able to finish a flyover when other States that earn 8 times what it earns are still not able to complete one.”
According to reports, the said Industrial City has a Paper Mill Factory, Plywood Factory, Textile Company, The largest Cassava Ethanol Factory in Nigeria, Automobile Assembly Plant and Nigeria’s first MDF Factory that produces high-density fibre and marine boards. Without a doubt, this will open a lot of job opportunities in not only Ondo State, but those from neighboring States as well who would obviously flood Ondo State.
To me, this should be a slap on the face of the Officials of the Delta State Government, who are only good at building schools that will produce ‘unemployable graduates’ roaming the streets, looking for white collar jobs that are really not there, or sitting idle in government-created offices browsing websites and chatting with friends on WhatsApp, Facebook, Tweeter, Instagram, etc. Or is their practice of employing thousands of youths every now and then as Senior Special Assistants (SSA), Personal Assistants (PAs), and other unimaginable portfolios that are without well-defined roles and job specifications. As noted by Ikiddeh, “the salvation of the masses is not in the hands of the Federal Government but in the hearts of ingenious, compassionate and patriotic minded Governors.” Sadly, Delta State is yet to have a taste of good governance since 1999 till date. And that is why we are seeing all the nonsense they have been acting out in the name of governance. It is truly shameful!
While I am aware that some few months ago, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta was reported to have told prospective investors in China that Delta State Government was ready to provide $10 million counterpart fund for the construction of Kwale Industrial Park in the State, which we applauded as a step in the right direction because, Kwale has actually been neglected by past Governments in the area of development and capital projects, despite being an oil producing area. However, we also drew the attention of the Okowa-led Delta State Government to the abandoned Warri Industrial Park, which foundation was laid by his predecessor, former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan? What is the fate of the Warri Industrial Park?
I advise Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, to go back to the past projects initiated and started by his predecessor, Uduaghan, and start working on completing them. Rather than embark on new projects, which another incoming Governor may abandon again, since it has now become a tradition that every new Government will come with its new projects, which they will execute halfway, and will be abandoned by the incoming Government that will obviously come with its own new projects. This becomes a big problem, especially when a governor cannot rule more than two tenures in Office, as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution. This bad practice/tradition of abandoning initiated/ongoing/ old projects, and then to embark on new ones, which were started by past Governors of the State, must be put to stop especially if we are to make any progress in this State.
One would have expected that there should be ‘continuity’, especially for capital projects, by every successive Governments. Without continuity in Government, we would continue to have ‘abandoned projects’ all over Delta State. There are other of such projects from the previous administration of Uduaghan, which have been abandoned by the Okowa Government. Some of these failed/abandoned Projects in Delta State are: The N23.2 billion Delta State Independent Power Plant (1PP) Project at Oghara, Ethiope West LGA, Delta State; The N6billion Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Lane Project that was supposed to start from Effurun Round-about and terminate at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Warri Delta State, which the current Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa Government had to spend more money to dismantle all the BRT Bust Stands along the road, however the ongoing Road Expansion And Drainage System are still left abandoned; of course, The Multi-billion Naira Warri Industrial Park at Edjeba, Warri Delta State, which N9 billion has already been reportedly expended, with over N1billion of State funds spent on master planning, EIA and consultancy as of 2011. An additional N3 billion was reportedly put in the 2012 Budget, N2 billion was allocated in the 2013 budget, and N3 billion was reserved for the project in the 2014 budget, yet there is little or nothing to show for the huge capital outlay.
Others are: The Second Runway and Expansion/Upgrade Of Osubi Airport Project at Osubi near Warri Delta State; The $250m Delta Leisure and Theme Park, Oleri. Touted as one of the key projects by Uduaghan, but the Delta Leisure and Theme Park, Oleri, Udu LGA of the State, remains a controversial project that has been abandoned. And the list goes on and on.
And I noted the fact that, now that Okowa has hinted plans for a Kwale Industrial Park, what assurance do we have that the said project will be completed under Okowa? And if not, will the same Industrial Park project not be abandoned by the next administration? This is why we said there has to be continuity of projects by Government, for the State to make any headway in terms of industrialization. If every Government abandons project left behind by its predecessor, then that means there is every tendency for the Government that will come after it to also abandon what the last Government started. This is not what makes a good Government. A good Government should be able to continue from where its predecessor stopped, even as it embarks on its own agendas it came in with.
One of the surest ways of entrenching development is by embarking on people-oriented infrastructural projects and creating the secured and enabling environment for all kinds of businesses and investors to be attracted to. This will automatically create jobs for the teeming youths in the oil city of Warri and environs. That is what made Dubai, London, New York, Tokyo, Beijing, etc. what they are today. Development is not wishful thinking but by taking concise and deliberate actions. The Delta State Governor, cannot keep wasting and misappropriating public funds to satisfy some self-centered political interests, provide unprofitable jobs-for-the-loyal-boys, and engage in wanton activities that do not bring any positive improvement to the living standards of Deltans/Nigerians in the State. The Delta State Government, is amongst the States that is blessed beyond measure, and that is also amongst States that receives the highest federal allocations in the country. Therefore, the State Government has not excuse whatsoever not to carry out needed basic infrastructural projects across the State. If their counterpart in Ondo State can do it, what excuse do they have?
Zik Gbemre.
March 6, 2020
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
It is indeed shameful, and a slap on the faces of South South’s Governors, especially that of Delta State Government, that while they are yearly busy building substandard political projects, sitting in long convoys, wasting public funds through their lifestyles, and undertaking endless groundbreaking projects with the media for political propaganda; other Governors are quietly changing and positively impacting the lives of many Nigerians from their regions.
These were my thoughts, when President Muhammadu Buhari recently commissioned (not groundbreaking) the Industrial Park in Ore, Ondo State. And as noted by stakeholders, the said industrial park was not only remarkable, but also unbelievable, considering the fact that such feat has never been attained by any of the States in the South-South which receives more federal allocation and revenue than other States across the country. in the words of a public affairs commentator, Ata Ikiddeh, he wondered (like many of us), “How in the world did Ondo State pull this off. Ondo State is one of the least affluent States in Nigeria!? How is it possible that a State that receives an average of N5b a month just built an industrial city and Mr. President just commissioned the mammoth project!? Meanwhile States that receive N15 to N20 billion monthly are struggling to finish road projects. How did a smart Ondo State Governor enter a deal with the city of Linyi in Shanghai China, and made it an Ondo State’s partner city? Finally, how was Ondo State able to finish a flyover when other States that earn 8 times what it earns are still not able to complete one.”
According to reports, the said Industrial City has a Paper Mill Factory, Plywood Factory, Textile Company, The largest Cassava Ethanol Factory in Nigeria, Automobile Assembly Plant and Nigeria’s first MDF Factory that produces high-density fibre and marine boards. Without a doubt, this will open a lot of job opportunities in not only Ondo State, but those from neighboring States as well who would obviously flood Ondo State.
To me, this should be a slap on the face of the Officials of the Delta State Government, who are only good at building schools that will produce ‘unemployable graduates’ roaming the streets, looking for white collar jobs that are really not there, or sitting idle in government-created offices browsing websites and chatting with friends on WhatsApp, Facebook, Tweeter, Instagram, etc. Or is their practice of employing thousands of youths every now and then as Senior Special Assistants (SSA), Personal Assistants (PAs), and other unimaginable portfolios that are without well-defined roles and job specifications. As noted by Ikiddeh, “the salvation of the masses is not in the hands of the Federal Government but in the hearts of ingenious, compassionate and patriotic minded Governors.” Sadly, Delta State is yet to have a taste of good governance since 1999 till date. And that is why we are seeing all the nonsense they have been acting out in the name of governance. It is truly shameful!
While I am aware that some few months ago, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta was reported to have told prospective investors in China that Delta State Government was ready to provide $10 million counterpart fund for the construction of Kwale Industrial Park in the State, which we applauded as a step in the right direction because, Kwale has actually been neglected by past Governments in the area of development and capital projects, despite being an oil producing area. However, we also drew the attention of the Okowa-led Delta State Government to the abandoned Warri Industrial Park, which foundation was laid by his predecessor, former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan? What is the fate of the Warri Industrial Park?
I advise Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, to go back to the past projects initiated and started by his predecessor, Uduaghan, and start working on completing them. Rather than embark on new projects, which another incoming Governor may abandon again, since it has now become a tradition that every new Government will come with its new projects, which they will execute halfway, and will be abandoned by the incoming Government that will obviously come with its own new projects. This becomes a big problem, especially when a governor cannot rule more than two tenures in Office, as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution. This bad practice/tradition of abandoning initiated/ongoing/ old projects, and then to embark on new ones, which were started by past Governors of the State, must be put to stop especially if we are to make any progress in this State.
One would have expected that there should be ‘continuity’, especially for capital projects, by every successive Governments. Without continuity in Government, we would continue to have ‘abandoned projects’ all over Delta State. There are other of such projects from the previous administration of Uduaghan, which have been abandoned by the Okowa Government. Some of these failed/abandoned Projects in Delta State are: The N23.2 billion Delta State Independent Power Plant (1PP) Project at Oghara, Ethiope West LGA, Delta State; The N6billion Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Lane Project that was supposed to start from Effurun Round-about and terminate at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Warri Delta State, which the current Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa Government had to spend more money to dismantle all the BRT Bust Stands along the road, however the ongoing Road Expansion And Drainage System are still left abandoned; of course, The Multi-billion Naira Warri Industrial Park at Edjeba, Warri Delta State, which N9 billion has already been reportedly expended, with over N1billion of State funds spent on master planning, EIA and consultancy as of 2011. An additional N3 billion was reportedly put in the 2012 Budget, N2 billion was allocated in the 2013 budget, and N3 billion was reserved for the project in the 2014 budget, yet there is little or nothing to show for the huge capital outlay.
Others are: The Second Runway and Expansion/Upgrade Of Osubi Airport Project at Osubi near Warri Delta State; The $250m Delta Leisure and Theme Park, Oleri. Touted as one of the key projects by Uduaghan, but the Delta Leisure and Theme Park, Oleri, Udu LGA of the State, remains a controversial project that has been abandoned. And the list goes on and on.
And I noted the fact that, now that Okowa has hinted plans for a Kwale Industrial Park, what assurance do we have that the said project will be completed under Okowa? And if not, will the same Industrial Park project not be abandoned by the next administration? This is why we said there has to be continuity of projects by Government, for the State to make any headway in terms of industrialization. If every Government abandons project left behind by its predecessor, then that means there is every tendency for the Government that will come after it to also abandon what the last Government started. This is not what makes a good Government. A good Government should be able to continue from where its predecessor stopped, even as it embarks on its own agendas it came in with.
One of the surest ways of entrenching development is by embarking on people-oriented infrastructural projects and creating the secured and enabling environment for all kinds of businesses and investors to be attracted to. This will automatically create jobs for the teeming youths in the oil city of Warri and environs. That is what made Dubai, London, New York, Tokyo, Beijing, etc. what they are today. Development is not wishful thinking but by taking concise and deliberate actions. The Delta State Governor, cannot keep wasting and misappropriating public funds to satisfy some self-centered political interests, provide unprofitable jobs-for-the-loyal-boys, and engage in wanton activities that do not bring any positive improvement to the living standards of Deltans/Nigerians in the State. The Delta State Government, is amongst the States that is blessed beyond measure, and that is also amongst States that receives the highest federal allocations in the country. Therefore, the State Government has not excuse whatsoever not to carry out needed basic infrastructural projects across the State. If their counterpart in Ondo State can do it, what excuse do they have?
Zik Gbemre.
March 6, 2020
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes