By Sam Akanimo
Delta State Government under the watch of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, says it will be collaborating with federal agencies in the state to promote moral values and attitudinal change among the citizenry.
The assurance is coming as the ban of the ubiquitous ‘Okada’ in some parts of the Asaba Capital Territory is causing serious unease to the electorate.
The Executive Assistant to the Governor on Communication and Head of State Orientation Bureau, Wilfred Latimore Oghenesivbe, gave the assurance when he played host to the Director of National Orientation (NOA), Mrs. Tracy Ikolomi, in his office in Asaba, the state capital.
Oghenesivwe pointed out that barely six months ago when he took over mantle of leadership, the Bureau has collaborated with critical federal agencies including the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, which agreed to address incidents of drugs abuse by youths
He said the Oborevwori administration has taken a bold step to rehabilitate victims of drugs abuse by establishing a Rehabilitation Centre at Kwale, in Ndokwa West Local Government Area, for youths who courageously denounced drugs abuse.
He equally explained that because of the interest the governor has for youths, the state government will soon float a health scheme for students of higher institutions of state origin to access free health services, which, according to him, is in tandem with Opportunities for All in the governor’s MORE Agenda.
Oghenesivwe urged NOA to assist in publicising the achievements of the Oborevwori administration in the media, and assured that the state Bureau of Orientation will continue to partner with NOA for the promotion of moral values in parents and youths.
He further expressed his gratitude to Mrs. Ikolomi and her team for recognizing the need for collaboration and emphasized on the Governor’s MORE Agenda, which aims to positively impact all aspects of society. He highlighted that the government’s efforts extend beyond infrastructural development, citing the introduction of a healthcare scheme accessible to all tertiary students of Delta origin nationwide.
The NOA director in the state earlier underscored the importance of partnering with the state Bureau, especially considering their shared responsibilities in sensitising the public on behavioral and attitudinal changes.
She also outlined various programmes that the National Orientation Agency plans to implement, as mandated by the Director-General of NOA, Lanre Issa-Onilu.
Mrs. Ikolomi explained that one of such is: “Say No To CLHEEAN” which is an acronym that stands for Crime, Lawlessness, Healthcare Inaccessibility, Education Deprivation, Environmental Degradation, Abuse of all forms and Narcotics, and “The Citizens Value Charter,” which aims to address the issue of declining values among citizens, and the government’s obligation and responsiveness.
In another department, the state Ministry of Secondary Education has postponed the 2024 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), that was earlier scheduled to commence on Monday, June 3, till further notice.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Augustine Oghoro, in a statement on behalf of the Commissioner, Mrs. Rose Ezewu, said that the postponement was as a result of the nationwide strike by the organised labour over the inability of the Federal Government to reach an agreement with them on a new national minimum wage.
The statement, however, clarified that in the event the strike did not hold, the examination will commence on Tuesday, June 4, 2024.
The statement regretted the inconveniences that the postponement would cause students and other stakeholders.
In the meantime, an appeal has gone to Governor Oborevwori, on the need for his administration to have a rethink on the ban on the use motorcycles as a means of transportation in some areas within the Asaba Capital Territory, especially in areas without accessible road network where people depend only on ‘Okada’, to move from one point to another.
Residents of Okpanam in Oshimili North Local Government Area of the state, who spoke anonymously said the ban was only a good idea when the accruing benefits superseded the consequences.
They said though the operations of commercial motorcycle riders in the area, which is part of the state capital territory might be perceived by the government as defacing the intended beauty of the area, extending the enforcement of the ban to parts of the town such as Amachai and Ogbeozoma Quarters where there are no good roads for tricycles to navigate through except the use of ‘okada’ would compound an already difficult situation for residents.
Some other respondents say commercial motorcycle transportation was their only means of livelihood and survival, adding that the ban might cause unnecessary crimes and untold hardship.
They said many graduates that are not gainfully employed resorted to commercial motorcycle operations, pointing out that the ban will lead to geometric increase in the number of unemployed youths in the state.
They are calling on the state government to instead limit the ban to only areas that are motorable enough to make it easy for tricycle riders to begin to follow such adjoining streets that were neither motorable nor trekkable.
Some civil servants are saying that since the ban, they have been finding it difficult to trek close to one hour from their homes to Okpanam Round About where they could take Keke to Asaba.
Those in Amachai and Ogbeozoma Quarters, are appealing to the state government to come to their aid by embarking on road construction in their areas.
For residents of Amachai, no single road has been constructed in their area by the government.
They are, therefore, calling for the construction of Amachai Road to link Akwu-Kwu Igbo, the headquarters of Oshimili North Local Government Area, and control the gully erosion that is confronting the people in the area.
Tthe road, according to them, will enhance the socio-economic well-being of the people.
