TheNewsGuru

Tag: okowa

  • #EndSARS: Gov Okowa condemns killing of policeman in Delta

    #EndSARS: Gov Okowa condemns killing of policeman in Delta

    Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has condemned the alleged killing of a policeman and injuring of another during the #ENDSARS protest in Ughelli on Thursday.

    Okowa, in a statement by Mr Olisa Ifeajika, his Chief Press Secretary in Asaba on Saturday, disclosed that it was disheartening that the unfortunate incident occurred while the policemen were carrying out their lawful duties.

    According to him, although citizens have the right to protest against cases of injustice or perceived wrongs in society, such rights must be exercised within the ambit of the law, NAN reports.

    “As a government, we recognise that protest on any issue of governance or the like is a legitimate right of citizens but must be embarked on responsibly and within the ambit of the law.

    “I, therefore, condemn in very strong terms, the killing of Corporal Etaga Stanley and injuring of another officer, Sergeant Patrick Okuone, by hoodlums under the guise of #ENDSARS protests.

    “I call for calm in the area and urge the police authorities to carry out a thorough investigation into the issue over the protest and circumstances surrounding the killing of the policeman, injuring of another and damages to police patrol vehicles by the hoodlums reportedly sponsored by ‘Yahoo Boys’.

    NEWS: End SARS: “President has been briefed, actions’ll be taken soon”- Buhari’s aide reveals
    “I also call on the people, particularly youths, not to take law into their hands. It’s the constitutional duty of the police to maintain law and order in the society, and they should be supported by all and sundry to do so at all times,” he said.

    He added: “On behalf of the government and people of Delta, I commiserate with the state Commissioner of Police, the State Police Command and the family of the deceased officer, in the unfortunate incident of Thursday at Ughelli.

    “I call on the people of Delta and other Nigerians involved in the #ENDSARS protests to remain peaceful while the Inspector-General of Police carry out reform on the SARS team as being demanded.”

  • Okowa congratulates Gov Diri on appeal court victory

    Okowa congratulates Gov Diri on appeal court victory

    ov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta has congratulated his Bayelsa counterpart, Sen. Douye Diri, on his victory at the Appeal Court on Friday.

    Ochoa’s congratulatory message was contained in a statement issued in Asaba on Saturday Mr Olisa Ifeajika, Chief Press Secretary to the Delta governor.

    The Delta governor noted that the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, which nullified Dari’s election earlier, ought not to have entertained the petition in the first instance as it was a pre-election matter and was status barred.

    He commended the INEC for acting well on the matter as the petitioner, the Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP) indeed, failed to present a qualified candidate for the election.

    He also commended the five-man panel of the Appellate Court for overturning the ruling of the tribunal.

    According to the governor, the judgment of the appellate court on the matter is a victory for the nation’s democracy and a reaffirmation of the powers of INEC to act as an unbiased umpire.

    “I welcome the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which sat in Abuja on the Bayelsa governorship election petition with immense joy and also appreciate the judiciary for doing justice to the matter.

    “This ruling has once again reaffirmed the powers of INEC to act as an unbiased umpire, especially in dealing with issues of improper nomination by political parties.

    I must commend the courage and sagacity exhibited by the five-man panel of the court which ruled that the ANDP failed woefully to show that it had a valid candidate that was unlawfully excluded by INEC.

    “On behalf of my family, the government and people of Delta, I congratulate my brother governor, Sen. Diri, on this victory.

    “The case was a needless distraction as the election petition tribunal ought not to have entertained the petition because it was a pre-election matter and was also status barred.

    `”This victory is for all Bayelsans, and I urge the ANDP to sheathe its sword and work in the interest of the people of the state,’’ the governor said in the statement.

  • BBNaija: Okowa congratulates Dorathy, Neo

    BBNaija: Okowa congratulates Dorathy, Neo

    Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta on Monday congratulated Dorathy Bachor and Neo Akpofure, both from the state, who were among the five finalists at the just concluded BBNaija reality TV Show.

    In a series of tweets on his handle @IAOkowa, the Governor said that the state was indeed proud of the duo whom he described as ambassadors of Delta State.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Bachor was Runner-Up in the competition while Akpofure was one of the five finalists.

    In his tweet, Okowa reaffirmed that the government would continue to support talented Deltans to achieve their dreams and aspirations.

    He said that the 24-year-old Bachor displayed leadership traits that distinguished her as a model for young persons in Delta and beyond.

    ”I am not surprised that she became the last woman standing out of 10 women among 20 housemates in the competition.

    “Her exemplary conduct in the Big Brother house was good and she did not bring any embarrassment to the state.

    “As a state, we are very delighted that our daughter, Dorathy Bachor, emerged the Runner Up in the just-concluded BBNaija competition.

    “We are glad that she and Neo related very well with the other housemates and survived all the evictions and avoided controversies in the house.

    “They have portrayed the Delta character of being well behaved and worthy ambassadors of the state,’’ the governor stated.

    He thanked the people of Delta and Nigerians for making their votes count for Bachor and Akpofure.

    Okowa advised them to continue to conduct themselves responsibly at all times and wished them well in their other endeavours.

  • COVID-19: Okowa calls for sustainable health financing in Nigeria

    COVID-19: Okowa calls for sustainable health financing in Nigeria

    Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta has called for the adoption and implementation of a viable and sustainable healthcare financing programme for states in the country.

    He made the call on Thursday in a statement issued in Asaba after he had addressed the 40th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Scientific Conference of Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) in Oghara.

    The NARD AGM, with the theme; “Health Care Infrastructure Optimization and Adaptation in the face of a Global Pandemic: The Coronavirus(COVID-19) Challenge”, held at the Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara.

    Okowa said that with an abysmal 0.5 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in public health spending, Nigeria had one of the lowest public healthcare financing globally.

    He also advocated for a national policy on responding and managing unforeseen public health crises.

    According to him, the absence of such a framework as well as the novel nature of the coronavirus, posed a major drawback in articulating a coordinated response at the initial stage of the pandemic in the country.

    The governor said that his administration had agreed to fund 80 per cent of the training requirements enshrined in the Residency Training Act (2017) as agreed with NARD and DELSUTH and urged the doctors to reciprocate the gesture with renewed vigour and commitment to their duties.

    He commended medical doctors and healthcare providers for their courage, commitment and determination to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

    He disclosed that Nigeria survived COVID-19 and previous public health emergencies/outbreaks due to the sacrifice, dedication, ingenuity and resourcefulness of healthcare providers.

    Okowa, however, said “regrettably, many of them got infected during the pandemic, while some, sadly, paid the supreme price.”

    He expressed hope that the meeting would offer good opportunity to review the ongoing national efforts to combat the pandemic, as well as assess the country’s readiness to respond appropriately to future public health emergencies.

    He said “I believe we can turn this crisis into an opportunity to bolster our health infrastructure, expand capacity and upgrade manpower in the health sector in such a way that our healthcare system will be better poised to deal with future outbreaks.

    “Testing was a huge problem because of the shortage of human resources, testing kits, laboratories, and case definition for testing that prioritizes symptomatic cases and their contacts.

    “The whole country only attained a daily testing capacity of 2,500 samples late in July, which is a far cry from what it should be for a country of our size.

    “Testing was not only extremely low; it took days before the results could be known. Confronted with a fast spreading disease like COVID-19, the delay meant the virus could spread unchecked as it hindered early contact tracing.

    “Here in Delta, samples had to be taken to the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital in Edo State, which served the entire South-South geo-political region of the country.

    “The wait was excruciating and exerted immense physical/mental toll on critical health personnel who had to be making frequent trips to Irrua.”

    The governor said that the state government was able to reach an arrangement with Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital in partnership with Pan African Network for Disease Outbreak Research and Rapid Response (PANDORA) to establish a molecular mobile laboratory in Delta.

    He explained that “since then, we have conducted over 9,000 tests in the state, while confirmed cases stood at 1,799 as at Friday, Sept. 18.

    “In Delta, we developed a strategic implementation plan focused on clear deliverables that are in line with the provisions of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund component of the National Health Act.

    “Similarly, the guidelines of the National Health Insurance Scheme were aligned to the prevailing peculiarities of the Delta State healthcare service system.

    “As the frontrunner in the implementation of this scheme, I am proud to inform this gathering that Delta State Government has accredited 405 health facilities to operate the scheme.

    “This comprise 268 Primary Health Care Centers, 66 Secondary Healthcare Facilities, 65 Private Healthcare Facilities, one Federal Medical Center, three Abuja Healthcare Facilities and two Lagos Healthcare Facilities to operate the scheme in the state.

    “Total number of enrollees is currently 788,740; we can be proud of the progress we have made even though there is still much work to be done.

    “In the post COVID-19, there is a compelling need to adopt and implement a viable and sustainable healthcare financing programme for all States in the country.

    “Each State is primarily responsible for the financing and implementation of its healthcare system.

    “A healthcare financing programme that is focused on up-scaling primary healthcare services, enhancement of human-resource-for-health capacity, deployment of a technology enhanced healthcare services delivery process and improved access to measurable quality healthcare services outcome for all, is an imperative”.

    Okowa, who also inspected ongoing rehabilitation of facilities at DELSUTH, expressed his administration’s readiness to extend same to other facilities in the state within the limits of available resources.

    The Chairman at the occasion and former Governor of Delta, Chief James Ibori, commended Okowa and former Gov. Emmanuel Uduaghan for conceiving the idea of building the teaching hospital in Oghara.

    He said doctors were at the vanguard of saving human lives, especially in the pandemic and urged them to remain dedicated.

    Also, Uduaghan, who was Guest of Honour at the event, congratulated NARD “for the dexterity in being the military arm of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA)”.

    He also commended Okowa for approving the Residency Training Programme for doctors in the state.

    He said that at the inauguration of Delsuth in 2010, his administration engaged diaspora doctors, nurses and pharmacists to exchange ideas.

    “The staff mix helped the image of the hospital to successfully carry out knee replacement surgery and kidney transplant with partnership from the University of Texas.” Uduaghan said.

    The President of NMA, Prof. Innocent Ujah, said in a message that NARD had evolved over the years to become vibrant, progressive and a dynamic affiliate of the Nigerian Medical Association.

    The Chief Medical Director of Delsuth, Dr Onome Ogueh, said the institution was the apex health organisation in the state with a vision to provide world class health care for all Deltans.

    He said the hosting of the 40th Annual General Meeting of NARD in Delsuth was the first time a state university teaching hospital was playing host to the NARD Secretariat.

    The National President of NARD, Dr Aliu Sokomba, represented by First Vice President, Dr Julian Ojebo, said the pandemic had brought new challenge to medical practice in a very poorly funded health industry in Nigeria.

    Sokomba said NARD fought to ensure the domestication of the Residency Training Act and lauded the contributions of Gov. Okowa to the National Health Act as well as his pioneering efforts toward domestication of the Act.

    Highpoint of the occasion was the presentation of awards to Gov. Okowa as the Ambassador for State Health Tertiary Institutions in recognition of his contributions to the National Health Act and implementation of the Residency Training

  • Okowa lifts suspension on minimum wage for workers

    Okowa lifts suspension on minimum wage for workers

    Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has lifted the suspension on minimum wage of some category of workers in the civil service.

    Recall that the Okowa administration reviewed salaries of political appointees and civil servants on salary grade level seven and above for six months with effect from July 2020.

    Delta State NLC chairman, Goodluck Ofobruku who disclosed this to reporters in Asaba, Friday, said the State Government agreed to the suspension of the payment of the new minimum wage for levels 7 to 17 be lifted with effect from September 1st, 2020.

    Ofobruku expressed pain at the sudden hike in both fuel and electricity tariffs by the Federal Government during this trying of the Covid-19 19 pandemic in the nation.

    He praised workers in the state for their patience and understanding all through the period under review and promised that better things were on the way for them.

    He commended Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for his effective leadership, people oriented policies and programmes and particularly for being workers friendly.

    He stressed that the earlier agreement between the state government and Nigeria Labour Congress was for a six months period, adding that the hike in fuel and electricity bills by the Federal government hastened the decision to suspend the slash in salary.

    The Special Adviser on SERVICOM and Labour, Mike Okeme said government promised to lift the suspension on minimum wage whenever there was improvement in the economy, and praised Okowa for being sympathetic to the plight of workers.

  • Okowa identifies two important reasons for consistent insecurity challenges in Nigeria

    Okowa identifies two important reasons for consistent insecurity challenges in Nigeria

    Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta on Wednesday blamed the high rate of poverty and geometric rise in population for the security challenges.

    He said these were inhibiting the socio-economic development of the nation.

    The governor stated this when the Country’s Representative of Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), Mr Vladimir Kreck, and the Director-General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Prof. Abubakar Suleiman, paid him a courtesy visit in Asaba.

    Okowa said that there was the need to look at the totality of the governance approach to security reforms and not just about security agencies.

    “Many a times, we blame the security agencies, rather than addressing the root causes of the challenges.

    “The nation must address the critical issues concerning poverty and unemployment as well as the growing family size as a way of tackling insecurity in the country,” Okowa said.

    The governor thanked the Country’s Representative of KAS for his promise to give support in the area of security sector reforms.

    He said that the nation needed reforms in the security sector to mitigate its security challenges.

    “The security situation in the country is as a result of the multiplicity of challenges that we have.

    “The unemployment situation is high, there is no doubt; the level of education is low.

    “So, when there is a lot of ignorance, the poverty rate is high and when you have a combination of all these, and more importantly is the fact that the population size is high.”

    He said that when poverty is combined with high population, it would lead to a very big problem, because one would be giving room to families that would continue to breed more and more poverty.

    “It creates a situation that the country would find very difficult to manage and that is exactly where we are heading to.

    “So, it is important that we look into the entire foundation to ascertain where we had gone wrong.

    “As we address the reforms in terms of approach, information gathering and even going into modern architecture, we must address the issues concerning poverty and unemployment and the growing family size,” he said.

    He said that until Nigerians were able to address the root cause of security challenges which borders on poverty, unemployment and the growing family size,they might not be able to tackle security issues frontally.

    “As populated as Nigeria is, the more secure that we are as a country, the better for the world because if we are not able to secure ourselves, we will create problems not only for ourselves, we create problems for the world.

    “So, I pray that your assistance will help in one way or the other to help lighten the security burden that we have at the moment.

    “With the cooperation of both national and sub-national governments, I am sure that we will definitely be in a position to begin to carry out reforms that will gradually change the scenario as we see it as today, because it is not the best,” he said.

    Okowa applauded the NILDS and KAS for their unwavering commitment toward building a strong legislative capacity in the country.

    “I want to appreciate you, people, for offering the services that you offer. I must also appreciate the NILDS because you have upped your games in trying to reach out to improve legislative capacity across the nation,” he said.

    Earlier, Mr Vladimir Kreck said that the mandate of the German Foundation was to support democracy and good governance, adding that they were in the state to promote the capacity of the legislature through training workshops.

    He, therefore, commended Okowa for sustained support to the state legislature, in order to build capacity through training.

  • Sad! Teen virgin killed in Okowa’s community

    Sad! Teen virgin killed in Okowa’s community

    A 17-year-old girl has been murdered in Owa-Alero community, Ika North East council of Delta State.

    It was gathered that the girl was a virgin and speech-impaired.

    She went out on Saturday night to buy something and sadly never returned.

    TheNewsGuru gathered that the teen was stabbed on the upper part of her ribs and a pipe inserted into her body through which her blood was drained.

    Her body was discovered on a heap of sand a few meters from her house with a bottle of soft drink and a packet of chin chin close to her.

    Police spokeswoman Onome Onovwakpoyeya confirmed the tragic incident, adding that investigation into the murder had started.

  • Okowa inaugurates Delta Economic Council

    Okowa inaugurates Delta Economic Council

    Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta has inaugurated the State’s Economic Council, with a charge to members to institute a strong, credible and enduring platform for diversification of the economy.

    The governor, at the ceremony, in Asaba on Friday, urged the council to proffer viable alternatives, to build strong public and private partnerships.

    They were also to formulate policies and practices that promote institutional transparency and accountability, including systematic disclosure of accurate and reliable financial information.

    The council, headed by the Deputy Governor, Mr Kingsley Otuaro, with the Commissioner for Economic Planning, Dr Barry Pere-Gbe as Secretary, were also expected to enhance business competitiveness.

    Okowa charged the body to ensure policies that would create confidence in the investing public and provide innovative strategies for expanding the tax base and improving tax efficiency of the administration.

    The governor said the council would initiate reforms aimed at strengthening public financial management systems, including budget management, mid-year budget reviews designed to align annual budgets to emerging scenarios and trends.

    He said the inauguration was in line with the State Economic Planning Council Law Cap D14, Laws of Delta State 2008.

    According to him, constituting the council is one of the many steps his administration is taking to build a stronger Delta.

    The governor said the council had power to formulate and prepare long, medium and short term development plans for the state and local governments.

    He said they could do so within the framework of the national objectives and priorities, and transmit same to the National Planning Commission.

    “As with other sub-national governments and the national government, our economic situation is regrettably still fragile, depending largely on oil earnings and, therefore, vulnerable to price volatility and commodity booms and busts.

    “Let me stress that we must continue to improve our credibility rating on issues concerning transparency and accountability, not only among our people, but also in the eyes of the business and investment community.

    “If we are to mobilize the level of support and partnership required to actualise our stronger Delta vision, we must continue to rationalise expenditures, maximise value for money and ensure good project selection to enhance judicious allocation of resources,” Okowa said.

    He recalled that the average annual growth rate of the state from 2013 to 2015 was 8.9 per cent, but that it had accelerated to an annual average of 13.2 per cent from 2015 to 2017.

    “Delta did not only surpass the national average on both indices of economic development, but climbed up the rung in the rank of states, especially in the poverty-to-population ratio.

    “Lagos led the chart (4.5 per cent) of prosperous states on poverty-to-population ratio followed closely by Delta (6.0 per cent).

    “Delta took a leap forward both in terms of the number of people who migrated from poverty to prosperity, and those rescued from the unemployment market.

    “More importantly, the economy is now well positioned to engender inclusivity and sustainable development.

    “We are committed to sustaining this momentum in the Delta State Medium-Term Development Plan (2020-2023) which has been finalized and would soon be unveiled to the public.

    “This second plan encapsulates the strategic imperatives of our stronger Delta mantra.

    “Our goal remains to grow the economy in a manner that is rapid, inclusive, sustained and susstainable,” he said.

    Responding on behalf of members of the Council, Commissioner for Finance, Chief Fidelis Tilije, commended the governor for his proactive steps at ensuring security of lives and property in the state.

    He expressed confidence that the council would take the right steps to ensure that economic processes and procedures are not just established, but seen to be operational and contribute to the development of Delta.

    Other members of the council are Commissioner for Trade and Investment, Chief Chika Ossai; Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Chief Patrick Ukah; Commissioner for Justice, Mr Peter Mrakpor; Commissioner for Transport, Mr Oviemuno Oghoore.

    The representative of the Delta State Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (DACCIMA) and Representative of Delta State Economic Recovery Advisory Council (DERAC) and others made the council list.

  • Okowa commends retired Primate Nicholas Okoh for stand against gay marriage

    Okowa commends retired Primate Nicholas Okoh for stand against gay marriage

    Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta has lauded Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh, the retired Primate of Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion, for his fight against same-sex marriage.

    Okowa gave the commendation on Saturday at the retirement thanksgiving service for the primate at St. Michael’s Anglican Church Owa-Alero, Ika North East Local Government Area of the state.

    The governor said Okoh stood for truth and deserved all the accolades for not succumbing to global pressure on the subject.

    “We have come here to thank God for giving us a brother and father such as our retired Primate, Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh.

    “Since 2010 when he became primate, life has returned to Owa Kingdom and Ika nation because he is always praying for us.

    “He is true to his faith of Anglicanism, and I have always seen him as a role model. He lived true to that and I am glad he carried on that position and the Lord blessed him.

    “At a time when a lot of things are going on in the Anglican Communion worldwide, he stood like the soldier of truth that he is.

    “He was one of the few African primates who declined to attend a meeting over gay marriage. We thank God that he was not carried away by the global sentiments,” he said.

    Okowa thanked God for preserving Okoh’s life who he described as truly a shining star and a humble man.

    “We are proud of him. Sometimes people say Okowa is humble, but when you look at the people he looks up to, you see humility is their lifestyle.

    “As a builder in the body of Christ, Okoh has done a lot in building for Christ and we will continue to be proud of him at all times.

    “Being the first ever primate from Delta, you made us proud and we give God the glory,” the governor said.

    He commended the current Primate of the church Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, for his sermon and urged him to continue speaking the truth to power.

    Earlier in his sermon, Ndukuba called on Nigerians to put their trust in God and seek His help in solving the problems bedevilling the nation.

    He said God is willing to restore the nation’s glory if the people were willing to serve Him in truth and in spirit.

    “We can only receive help from God if we are joint operators with God, for He will never send you without helping you.

    “It is the grace and support of God in the life of our father that we are celebrating today. The Lord has indeed helped him in life and ministry,” he said.

    On his part, Dr Emmanuel Efeizomor II, the Obi of Owa Kingdom, commended the retired primate for fighting immorality in the church and described him as an illustrious son of the kingdom.

    “You are a soldier of Christ, an agent of the truth and the pointer of light. If not for God, who would have taken you through this path?

    “You met your people better than you left them 10 years ago when you were curated primate. What only God can do, no man can do.” the Owa monarch said.

    Responding, Okoh thanked Gov. Okowa for his support throughout his tenure as primate.

    He said he was not just thanking God because he was retiring from active service in the church, but for surviving when he took the bold step to leave his village 51 years ago.

    “I left the village 51 years ago at 4 a.m. on foot. I am happy that I am able to come back alive and whatever achievement and promotion we have attained, it is by the grace of God.” Okoh said.

  • BREAKING: Delta gov, Okowa, wife, daughter recover from coronavirus, test negative

    BREAKING: Delta gov, Okowa, wife, daughter recover from coronavirus, test negative

    Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, his wife and daughter have tested negative for coronavirus [COVID-19].

    This was revealed on Tuesday morning via the governor’s official and verified Twitter account.

    TheNewsGuru.com TNG reports that Okowa who recently celebrated his 61st birthday in isolation tested positive with his wife on Wednesday, July 1.

    The governor however appealed to residents in the state to obey all COVID-19 safety tips as released by appropriate quarters to further reduce transmission of the virus in the state and the nation at large.