LAGOS AUGUST 12TH (URHOBOTODAY)-Urhobo leaders and indigenes residing in Lagos State have declared their support for Delta State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Gubernatorial Aspirant, Obaisi (Barr) Ovie Omo-Agege in his quest to become Delta State governor come 2015.
The leaders made their declaration weekend during Urhobo Stakeholders Forum organized by a group under the aegis of Urhobo Network at the Lagos City Hall, Lagos. The event was organized for all the Urhobo governorship aspirants in order for them to address Urhobos residence in Lagos on the programme they have for the people of Delta State should they become the governor of the State come 2015.
Speaking newsmen, National Co-ordinator of Urhobo Network, Dr Dafe Akpocha said although, Urhobo Nework is not out to support any aspirant, he, however, pointed out that having invited several aspirants and none of them showed up for reasons best known to them and with what they have heard from Obaisi Ovie Omo-Agege, he is a better choice as governor of Delta State.
“We saw Obaisi (Barr) Ovie Omo-Agege who came to tell us what he will do should he become the Governor of Delta State. It is known that Delta State is for everybody. He is going there to pursue a course or vision for the betterment of the people of Delta State. You can see him talking about developmental projects, empowerment of the youths and other programmes that will take Delta State to the next level. If the youths are empowered, the issue of kidnapping will stop.
“We have not been able to really sit down and look at the issue of kidnapping. We need to come out with a solution. Those voted into power have not been able to come out with a concept of how to stop kidnapping and other vices. It is not buying them keke mawa or okada and going to the bus-stop to doll out money for them in order to win the election after which they will dump them and they later become idol. They say the idol mind is the devil’s workshop, ” Akpocha stressed.
Akpocha who advised the youths against being used by politicians who later dumped them, urged them to support an aspirant who will implement programmes like those of Ovie Omo-Agege that will create employment opportunities for them.
He enjoined Urhobo sons and daughters vying for office of Delta State governor to unite and adopt one person, adding that If they adopt one person, they would not have problems in picking the Delta State Governorship slot.
“We have people who want to scatter us. We have people who want to create problems in our mist so that we will not be able to come together to have a resolution. I think that plan will not work now. They gave us a state in Jerusalem and take our capital to Damascus. In that regards, what belongs to the Urhobos must be taken whole heartedly,” Akpocha vowed.
Speaking in the same vein, His Royal Highness, Osu (Dr) Charles Ogodo, Osu R’Urhobo of Lagos State and Chairman Urhobo Traditional Council of Chiefs of Lagos State who wished Obaisi Ovie Omo-Agege best of luck in his quest to become governor of Delta State described the programme Omo-Agege delivered in his speech as fantastic.
Hear him, “All the programme he spoke about are all okay. My own concern is that an Urhobo must become the governor of Delta State and I wish Omo-Agege luck in his effort to become the governor of Delta State. As a traditional ruler of the Urhobos in Lagos State, what I believe is the unity of the Urhobos. I will say that as Omo-Agege heard the call of the Urhobos and he came so God will also bless his heart desire. Omo-Agege is a great man. He had achieved a lot for the people of Delta State. But I still insist that I will support whoever scales the primaries.”
Speaking in his personal capacity, Chief Godspower Ikpimi, Secretary of Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), Apapa branch, Lagos State, who felt disappointed over the absent of other Urhobo gubernatorial candidates invited to the forum said from what he heard Omo-Agege said about his programme for the people of Delta State, he would make a good governorship material.
“It is quite unfortunate that among all the Urhobo gubernatorial candidates that were invited to the forum it was only Ovie Omo-Agege that honoured the invitation. I listened to his speech. The programme he proposed are very good ones. From what I saw in him he will make a good administrator.
“Omo-Agege was a man I have a different opinion about in the past. But with what he had said today, his programme had said it all. He is a man that has vision and plan for the people of Delta State. If he is giving the opportunity to become governor of Delta state, he will do actually what he had said,” Ikpimi affirmed.
Ikpimi hailed Omo-Agege’s community security marshal programme as a very good one, adding that beside creating security and peace, it would create employment for the teeming unemployed youths and encourage investment in Delta State.
Addressing the large gathering of Urhobo residents in Lagos earlier, Omo-Agege who said he had a passion to serve his people because they made him who he is and the least he could do is to pay back through service to them said Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan has performed creditably well in his three point agenda of human capital development, infrastructural development and peace and security. He, however, disclosed that if elected Governor of Delta State he would build on Uduaghan’s achievements to take the state to next level.
“ I am here to take Delta State to another level. Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan had done well in term of infrastructural development by tarring our roads, building of bridges and opening up our communities. We will build on his achievements. You can never say you have hard enough in infrastructural developments. The roads that were not tarred will be tarred. In doing that, we will insist on the policy of local contents. Even if we bring in Julius Berger for the road construction and infrastructural development they will not bring in people from outside the state as workers. I will insist on employing qualified youths in doing the engineering, bricklaying, welding and others aspect of the job so as to create employment for our people.
He said his government would lay emphasis on the development of agricultural sector of the state by going into partnership with fertilizer companies who would supply fertilizer and seedlings for planting.
Describing his agricultural projects as means of providing internally generated revenue, food and employment opportunities, Omo-Agege promised that many of the unemployed youths would be engaged in gainful employment as workers in the agricultural sector, adding that by so doing the issue of insecurity would be eradicated as many of the youths would be gainfully employed.