Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has been commended for his selfless and unparalleled commitment to good governance leading to massive development and uplifting of the standard of living of the people of the State.
The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Ndudi Elumelu gave the commendation on Thursday while presiding over the conferment of Award of Good Governance on the Governor by the Artisan Association of Nigeria, Delta State Chapter, at the Cenotaph, Asaba.
Elumelu described Senator Okowa as a strong lesson in sacrificial leadership, saying that the Governor has raised the bar in governance, considering his exceptional performance in Delta state within a period of six years on the saddle.
While noting that Senator Okowa’s performance in the State, has made him a reference point for others in Nigeria, the Minority leader, said that the award of Good Governance on the Governor by the Artisan Association of Nigeria, Delta State Chapter, was a resounding testimony of how Senator Okowa as the Governor of the State, has continued to touch lives, wipe away tears, restore hopes, bring smiles, create jobs for millions and chart a secure and prosperous future for all Deltans.
“I am deeply touched by the fact that this award is coming from a set of individuals who are spurred by their honest and non-partisan recognition of Governor Okowa’s sacrifices, selfless service and unparalleled commitment to governance leading to massive development as well as uplifting of the living standard of Deltans, particularly, the less privileged,” the Minority leader said.
Elumelu who represents Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives attested to the super humanity in Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa and said that he has remained an extraordinary gift to Delta State and humanity at large.
“Despite his towering personal attainments, he has remained hardworking, humble, loving, affectionate, accessible, and thoughtful towards others and demonstrates, by leading from the front, that the true essence of leadership is using its rare opportunity in serving the good of the people, rather than self.
The Federal Lawmaker continued: “I am personally inspired by his achievements in human capital and infrastructure development in all critical sectors in our state in addition to the provision of essential amenities and direct empowerment of citizens in various productive sectors across the three senatorial districts in our beloved state.
“Since inception of office, Governor Okowa has continued to vigorously pursue his goal of Prosperity for all Deltans. His sleeves are always rolled up. He is clear of what needs to be done; empower the people and he has been doing that.
“In the last six years, Governor Okowa had achieved unprecedented milestones in imparting the people, particularly the young ones, with the requisite technical expertise, skills, resources and connections to be self-reliant and even grow wealth along the line of his ‘Stronger Delta’ mantra.
“I am thankful to Mr. Governor for his innovation in retooling the skill acquisition system in our state. This is especially by establishing the Technical and Vocation Education Board, which has been integrated into the Ministry of Technical Education as well as the novel Office of the Chief Job Creation Officer, now known as the Job and Wealth Creation Bureau, among other interventions.”
Elumelu appreciated the Governor for his administration’s entrepreneurship development programmes and said that the success of the programme was evident in the explosion of thousands of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, MSME, across the three senatorial districts in the State.
“I am also thankful to Mr. Governor for his various entrepreneurship development programmes including the Skills Training and Entrepreneurship Programme, the Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurs Programme, Graduate Employment Enhancement Programme (GEEP), Rural Youth Skills Acquisition programme, Girls Entrepreneurship Skills Training, and Women Entrepreneurship Skills Acquisition Programme.
“The success of these interventions is evident in the explosion of thousands of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across our state with at least 100,000 persons trained and resourced directly by the Okowa administration, and who are in turn empowering hundreds of thousands of others under their employments.
“May I, on behalf of all the artisans as well as other Deltans empowered and excelling in various fields of productive endeavors, personally thank our dear Governor for his sacrifices towards our people,” Elumelu stated.
