By Anne Azuka
Delta State Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information on Thursday said Governor Sheriff Oborevwori was partnering with the Federal Government for the overall development of the state.
Aniagwu who disclosed this at a news conference in Asaba said interactions and interfacing with relevant organs of government at different levels will be strengthened for the purpose of advancing the MORE agenda.
According to him, we will continue to smoothen our relationship with federal bodies starting from the Presidency to all other agencies of government all with a view to ensuring that our state benefit maximally from whatever it is that we can get so that at the end of the day we are able to make life much more meaningful for our people.
Our state has started reaping from that relationship because on Sunday, we joined the federal government for the concessioning of the Benin – Onitsha Expressway with dual carriage.
“That is going to ease off transportation along that corridor and we very much support it.
“We also support that initiative of the federal government and as a government and administration we wholeheartedly welcome the idea so that that road will become much more motorable in the course of time.
“On Monday you also saw the Minister of Works, Engr David Umahi as well as our own governor who represented the President still on the line of the very cordial relationship that we maintain with the federal government.
“We have made it very clear over time that at the moment we have one President and we will continue to cooperate with that President for the purpose of ensuring that our country functions effectively.
“If there is trouble at the center or in any of the component states, of course you do know that it will hamper development and we do not wish that development is hampered in any part of our country,
let alone the entire federation, which today is presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“That relationship has ensured that the Federal government proceeds to complete the construction of the 17.5km alignment to link up the Second Niger bridge from Issele-Azagba.
“As a state, we welcome it wholeheartedly, our Governor who represented the President at that function has pledged that as a state we will cooperate and support every effort by the federal government to ensure that that particular construction is completed.
“At that ceremony, you saw the Minister of Works, Engr David Umahi acknowledging that our governor has been quite exemplary in giving out the dividends of democracy by way of infrastructure enhancement and human capital development.
“Governor Oborevwori has given vent to section 14 subsection 2 paragraph b of the 1999 constitution which states inter alia that the security and welfare of the people is the primary purpose of government.
“At that moment you could see a convergence of fairness in that assessment and we appreciate the Minister and Mr President for what he is doing in our own dear state and we also look forward to having more of such projects in the course of time.”
On the viral video involving some nursing students during the visit of the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the Commissioner said it was not entirely a true account of what happened at the ceremony.
“Our dear First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, was in our dear state for two good days, not on a holiday, but on a working visit and in the course of that, a whole lot was achieved.
“A whole lot was given to our people, and that has been very much appreciated. We want to say a very big thank you to our first lady, and our own daughter, who has also shown us love from that Olympian height.
“She brought in a number of medical kits and a whole number of other items for the purpose of getting our younger ones to indeed rise and shine.
“In the first day, over 10,000 medical kits were distributed to the six states of the South-South using our own state as a point of contact.
“And of course, we saw the number of first ladies from across the states, and the six geopolitical zones, identifying with the very noble efforts of our dear first lady in our country.
“We welcomed her and she was also very happy for the reception that we accorded her in the course of the visit. We are very, very pleased with the things she has come to do in our state.
“A viral video recently surfaced regarding the visit of the President’s wife. Let me state categorically that the First Lady didn’t visit the school of nursing in Agbor. She observed that the Nurses present at the event had some expectations regarding the distribution of the medical kits. She apologized to the nurses during the presentation. The apology was made because the current phase of donations and support was specifically targeted at midwives.
“She assured nurses that they would receive their turn in due time through the Renewed Hope Initiative. However, some nurses, who had expected equal treatment alongside midwives, were understandably disappointed.
“Despite this disappointment, there was no incident of hostility or bullying during the visit. Initially, the nurses were welcoming and happy and danced even as they cheered the first lady in the course of her speech, but a few of them playfully expressed their feelings by singing a different tune in response to the situation.
“This reaction was taken out of context by some individuals on social media, who misrepresented the events to fit their own narratives. The viral video, therefore, does not reflect the atmosphere and what truly transpired at the gathering.
“As a government we express our profound appreciation for the First Lady’s visit and her initiatives. We emphasized that the reaction seen in the video was not characteristic of our nurses, but rather a few individuals wishing for equal treatment with midwives.”
The government reaffirmed its gratitude for the First Lady’s continued support and dismissed the misleading narratives circulating online.
“So we needed to clarify the situation, we once again express our gratitude to the President, his wife, and supportive Nigerians, and emphasize our commitment to good governance in Delta with a view to improving the lives of the people through the MORE Agenda.”
