Sylvester Idowu in Warri
The once famous Ethiope Salt Company, which produces one of the best salts in the country, and a fishery firm, Shrimps Company both in Oghara town in Ethiope West Local government area of Delta State, would be revived to boost employment and the economy of the state, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has assured residents of the state.
Omo-Agege, who is the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, said his administration’s economic blueprint encompasses the revamping of moribund industries including the now abandoned Independent Power Plant (IPP) in Oghara and other abandoned industries across the state, if elected.
The Deputy President of the Senate made the promises yesterday, during his ward-to-ward campaign in Oghara, the hometown of former Governor James Ibori and Mosogar, the hometown of Senator Ighoyota Amori, the Delta Central Senatorial candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
He assured that the now moribund Ethiope Salt and Shrimps Company, which used to be the economy live-wire of Oghara and its environs, would be revamped if he emerges governor in the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
Omo-Agege also promised to reduce tuition fees in the state-owned higher institutions, stressing that the recent hike in school fees was far beyond the reach of ordinary citizens in their quest to provide quality education for their children.
While stating that he would run a transparent government, the Delta Central lawmaker disclosed that he would also build a Central Truck Park for tankers visiting the area to lift petroleum products to avert similar incidents like the 1998 Jesse pipeline explosion where over 1,000 persons died.
Vowing to keep his promises to Deltans, the APC governorship candidate said, “I have committed that as the next governor of Delta State, I will be judicious, I will be equitable, and I will be fair in the distribution of our resources so that everybody will get their resources.
“As I was coming, looking at Oghara, everywhere you go you see trailers and tankers. You know how dangerous that thing is, with one explosion you know the consequences. It happened once in Jesse where so many people died. And as a result of our ‘urban renewal agenda,’ we are going to construct a Central Truck Park outside of this place so that it will no longer be a menace to our people.
“And that IPP project which was conceived to be in Ogharaeki, I promise it will come back there. If Okowa likes let him take the things and run. All we know is that we voted for an IPP here in Ogharaeki and we have already spent N20b and that N20b we know what we got with it. At least I know of 125 megawatts of turbine that we purchased. He will bring them back. It must come back here. Here in Ogharaeki, there is supposed to be a modern school, were you given? Did they not take it from you? What did the Oghara people do to Okowa?
“Not only that, our fathers and mothers that worked for local government councils and state government, refused to pay them their pensions. Some of them have died, and some are crying. All their pension entitlement, if you check our manifesto called the ‘Edge Agenda’ we wrote it down that within six months of our emergence as the next governor, we would pay all of those pension arrears.
“Our children that are going to school, look at them they have no money but yet they are increasing school fees. Meanwhile, Delta State is about the only state in the South-South that has refused to implement the minimum wage for councils and primary school teachers.
“So the salaries of our parents and workers here have remained constant, yet the university fees are being increased by Okowa. So, who is going to pay? When I become governor, we are going to reduce the school fees and our people will get the minimum wage,” he said.
