Inclusive Governance Panacea for Agitations, Says Okowa

Inclusive Governance Panacea for Agitations, Says Okowa

By Omon-Julius Onabu

Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has advocated for true democratic practice of all-inclusive governance in order to curb persistent agitations rocking the country as well as threatening Nigeria’s democracy.

Okowa made the remarks yesterday when he played host to the Executive Chairman of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), Dr. Muheeba Dankaka, who lead a team, including commissioners, on a courtesy call on him at the Government House in Asaba.

“In political appointments, projects allocation and employment into the civil service, there should be fairness and equity if the loyalty of the people will be guaranteed,” the governor said.

He noted that the rest of the country must understand the challenging environmental peculiarities of compatriots living in the creeks and coastal communities in the Delta State.

According to Okowa, “Once there is equity and fairness in political appointments, civil service, social amenities and the development of our country, Nigerians would show loyalty to their country. The value of all-inclusive governance cannot be overstressed, but once there is a distortion in equity and fairness, you begin to see all manners of agitations.

“Nigeria is a multi-ethnic nation and there are lots of agitations, but we believe that with your office and the people who represent various zones in the Federal Character Commission, it is actually a well thought-out plan to ensure that there is inclusive governance in our country.

“I believe that that is why the commission was set up to ensure inclusive governance in the areas of appointment into the civil service, the political class and equity and fairness in the distribution of social amenities in the development of our country.

“An implementation of these strategies will cause Nigerians to show loyalty to the country, and if at any point in time there is a distortion in the process of ensuring equity and fairness you begin to see people agitating.”

The governor said: “Agitations at one point in time tend to weaken us as a country, and it creates an environment that will not encourage development.

“As a state rich in oil resources, there is the view of the people that we ought to have more than we have today beyond our 13 percent oil derivation.

“If you have an opportunity of going into the creeks, you will see that 40 percent of Delta State is actually in the creeks, and if you have the opportunity of ever going there, you will see that there is a different Nigeria in them because where they live, they have no means of transportation.

“It is imperative that as a country, we must work towards developing such places; this is important because it has become a huge task for the state government in developing such areas.”

Okowa charged the FCC chairman and her team to continue to raise their voices wherever they found out that things are not equitably distributed as it ought to be, saying such reaction would ensure that things work for the good of the country.

Earlier, the FCC Chairman, Dankaka, said they were in the state to acquaint themselves with the realities in the state as part of the commission’s mandate, assuring the governor that the commission would continue to do its best in the discharge of its responsibilities to ensure that all Nigerians have a sense of belonging.

Related Articles