JUNE 3, 2023
- Introduction
As Deltans and as proud nationals of the Okpe Nation, we congratulate you on your swearing-in as the 5th democratically elected Governor of Delta State. It is an office which your previous position and vast experience in the Delta State House of Assembly have prepared you for. At the same time, we recognize that the challenges you face as the Governor will dwarf those you had encountered in the previous years. Now the entire State is your constituency. In this position you are required to balance the needs of contending constituencies in terms of reconciling the legitimate demands of all the ethnic nationalities that comprise Delta State, including the Okpe.
In reviewing your Inaugural Address on May 29, 2023, in Asaba, we noticed certain areas of interest to Okpe Nation, which we highlighted in this Open Letter. For example, your resolved, inter alia, to “foster sustainable economic growth and private sector job creation; enhance governance and accountability; enhance the existing social investment programmes for the benefit of the poor and vulnerable groups, including widows and People Living with Disabilities, through microcredit, training, and business networking; to further develop empowerment programmes for women associations, particularly in the rural areas; ensure the completion of all ongoing projects – roads, bridges, schools, and other physical infrastructure; and pledge to run an open and responsive government that meets the needs and aspirations of our people”; for consolidation and advancement”; etc.
These are laudable intentions which, if implemented, will enshrine your name as a transformative leader in Delta State. We wish you well. We draw your attention to some issues related to the core elements of your Inaugural Address that we consider critical for the success of your Administration.
- Continuity and Change in Government
We welcome your commitment to “enhance governance and accountability” and “for consolidation and advancement” of Delta State. Government is a continuum, and at the same time change is a constant variable in the phenomenon of good governance. In the dialectics of continuity and change, a critical review of all aspects of governance of a previous administration must be undertaken without bias in order to determine where change is needed. We urge you to employ this approach in the process of identifying what to “consolidate and advance”.
In an era of increasing depletion of resources, a thorough review of overlap and duplication in service delivery is vitally important for any conscious government. A judicious management of human resources is a hallmark of good leadership, especially in the public sector. It is injurious to the economy if expenditures dwarf revenues and a government resorts to borrowing to service its loans, and entangles itself in a revolving circle of debt financing. Under your Administration, Delta State must avoid this pitfall which has engulfed several states in Nigeria, including Delta State and the Federal Government. We are of the view that Delta State is sufficiently rich, based on its revenues (federal allocations, 13% derivation, IGR, etc.), and that the reckless expenditures and alleged misuse and abuse of public funds witnessed over the past decades are responsible for the scores of abandoned projects scattered around the State.
- DESOPADEC
We shall your position that “building bridges of social cohesion” and “giving our people the hope of a better tomorrow”, and an “accelerated development” is crucial for a multi-ethnic polity like Delta State. This is the fundamental principle that underlined the establishment of DESOPADEC. Unfortunately, the Okpe nationality have been excluded from benefiting in DESOPADEC as a distinct ethnic nationality.
Your Excellency, we draw your attention to the fact that, since the inception of DESOPADEC, Okpe have been denied its rightful slots of appointments and award of projects due to the erroneous classification of Okpe under the Urhobo appellation while, for example, the Ijaw, Ika, Isoko, Itsekiri, and Ndokwa ethnic nationalities receive their respective slots, as recognized ethnic nationalities.
As an ethnic nationality that exclusively owns at least two Local Government Areas in Delta State, the Okpe Nation should be recognized in DESOPADEC and therefore be entitled to an exclusive Commissioner and an Executive Director like our neighbouring oil producing ethnicities of Delta State. The advantages of this include direct budget for the Okpe Nation, specific slots for different empowerment programmes and policies e.g., bursary awards for Okpe students which they now share with Urhobo students under a crass discrimination. Justice delayed is justice denied. In order to rectify this injustice, we appeal to you to submit an Executive Bill to the Delta State House of Assembly for the reinstatement and recognition of Okpe as a distinct ethnic nationality so that Okpe Nation can claim its rightful position in DESOPADEC.
- Delta Seaports
We recall the vital role played by the seaports at Sapele, Koko and Warri in the economy of the (then) Midwest Region until the federal military government discarded these seaports during the civil war in favour of Lagos. The subsequent expansion of seaport facilities in Lagos is detrimental to the national economy as it denies the growth and development of the economy in other regions of the country with excellent seaport facilities, including those in Sapele, Koko and Warri. We urge your Administration to bring this to the attention of the federal government via the members representing Delta State in the National Assembly. It makes no economic sense for importers/exporters based in Delta State, for example, to rely on Lagos seaports for his business, when they could easily access the Sapele, Koko and Warri seaports. Imagine if New York City were the only seaport to service the entire United States; or the Port of London is the only seaport to service England.
- Infrastructural Development
For any meaningful development to take place, deliberate policy must be instituted and implemented to enhance the quality of life of the citizens. Thus, budgetary allocations for education, agriculture, healthcare, social benefits, pensions must be given topmost priorities by your Administration. Furthermore, while we applaud your intention to “ensure the completion of all ongoing projects – roads, bridges, schools, and other physical infrastructure” n Delta State, we urge your Administration to pay particular attention to the quality of these projects. It is observed across Delta State that most newly “completed” roads do not survive the raining season. This is a huge cost to the taxpayers, leading to the high cost of foodstuffs as a result of the incurred difficulty in transporting produces to the markets.
- Transparency and Good Governance
Your “pledge to run an open and responsive government that meets the needs and aspirations of our people” is welcome. This is a declaration readily made by all political leaders with depressingly appalling results. We urge you to depart from this path of failed promises by embarking on the following.
- Recognize the autonomy of the Local Government system in Delta State, and stop relating to it as an administrative arm of the Delta State Government, or treating a Council Chairman as an errand man/woman of the Governor’s Office.
- Publish and release the full monthly allocations to LGAs in Delta State.
- Allow for free and fair local government elections in Delta State.
- Publish the value of the 13% derivation, indicating how it is spent for public good.
- Publish a Quarterly Report of the facts and figures of government revenues and expenditures, including allocations to local governments, etc.
- Take immediate measures to block all leakages of corruption in the Delta State Government, including its commissions and agencies, etc.
- Contractors of roads, bridges, and schools should be required to provide guarantees for their products and to repair any defects during the guarantee period just as, for example, car manufacturers guarantee their products for a specific period.
- Take prompt action to pay all pensioners their outstanding benefits.
- Conclusion
Good governance requires an incorruptible leader that is effective, ethical and transformative. Leadership is a selfless service to the community. Thus, it is not an avenue for any leader to privatize public funds. We are sure that you epitomize the qualities of good governance.
Towards this end, we are ready to provide you with advice on all areas of governance. Okpe Union shall monitor the performances of your Administration, including your appointed officials. We shall commend you and your officials for your successes, as well as draw your attention to gaps in your performances.
We wish you success and God’s guidance in your tenure as Governor of Delta State.
Sincerely,
Prof. O. Igho Natufe Barr. Kingsley Ehensiri Akpederin
President General, Okpe Union General Secretary, Okpe Union
Mrs. Rose Atarhe-Abuh
National Publicity Secretary, Okpe Union
