Okowa

Peace, Security: APC ignorant of Okowa’s achievements

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The Delta State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has taken the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC in the State to the cleaners, over its latest comments on Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s Peace and Security initiatives, describing the APC’s criticism as a pointless rigmarole and the Press Statement itself as a poorly crafted and hugely disappointing exercise both in text and context.

A terse, but poignant response by the Delta PDP Publicity Secretary, Dr. Ifeanyi Osuoza, dismissing the APC Press Statement, signed by Barr. Ogheneluemu Sylvester Imonina, who, according to Dr. Osuoza, is still moonlighting as the Publicity Secretary, APC, Delta State, reads thus:

“Our attention has once again been drawn to a Press Statement titled: DELTANS ARE ENTITLED TO RIGHT TO LIFE, AND PROTECTION BY GOVERNMENT and signed by Barr. Ogheneluemu Sylvester Imonina, who is still sadly moonlighting as the Publicity Secretary, APC, Delta State, and it is rather unfortunate and temporarily diversionary, that we have to take time out of our busy Pre-inauguration schedule, to once again educate the APC on the excellent achievements of the Governor Okowa administration in entrenching and sustaining Peace and Security in Delta State.

‘”For starters, it is imperative to inform the APC that the fundamentals of security and peace building have been well defined and articulated in the brilliantly packaged SMART Agenda and we refer them to the specific component that outlines the vision, which, if they had just taken a little time to peruse, would have saved them the embarrassment and ignorance reeking all over their wishy washy press statement.

“It is on record that the agenda of Governor Okowa’s administration from the onset, had centred not only on the critical need to sustain the peace of inter-community relations in every area of the State, but also to address the recurring challenges of violent crimes such as kidnapping and armed robbery, as well as curb the emerging and horrible incursions of suspected herdsmen, which threatened the livelihood of our people in recent times.

“The Governor Okowa administration had, in its first tenure, not only improved on the existing strategies to address these threats to peace and security, but had introduced appropriate new measures to tackle the sources which bred and encouraged insecurity, breach of peace and threats to the safety and protection of lives and properties of Deltans, with considerable and commendable success.

“These measures have included; Verifiable effective support to all Security Agencies viz: the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force) and sister agencies, not only for combating the sources of insecurity and conflicts, but also for intelligence gathering to quickly nip in the bud or initiate quick proactive responses to planned and reported criminal activities.

“In addition to these, Governor Okowa’s administration has also ensured that auxiliary security operatives, including Vigilantes, have received adequate attention, support and assistance to enable such community directed services keep the peace and provide security in the form of vigilante networks operated in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force, as determined by the statutes that established the existence and operations of Vigilante groups, by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua administration, in October 2004.

“Again, Governor Okowa’s administration equally placed great faith, trust and confidence in the role of traditional institutions, particularly the Traditional Rulers of all the communities, to effectively cooperate with the government to ensure crises free homelands, by strengthening the capacity of Community leaders to further equip them in identifying and flushing out miscreants, trouble makers and notable elements of conflicts and insecurity, operating within the communities. The establishment of the Delta State Stakeholders forum for regular discourse on peace and security has been a huge and successful initiative in this regard.

“To therefore insinuate or suggest, as the APC Press Statement has inferred, from whatever warped and erroneous information, garnered apparently, from its half baked, ignorant and misinformed sources at its disposal, that Governor Okowa had turned a blind eye to the legal/moral responsibility placed on him by the law and that members of Delta State Vigilante survive on the crumbs from good spirited members of the public, while the government of Delta State care less about their welfare, is not only misleading, but a big fat lie, which can only be manufactured in the laboratory of falsehood, operated at full capacity by the fractured and fictionalized Delta APC, whose fantastic pedigree to fabricate lies, has even now destroyed the entire structure and fabric of their existence before the world.

“The Delta State Government has not only ensured that all security agencies and related groups, including vigilante groups, have been fully accommodated, assisted and supported, through the necessary channels and relevant agencies, to avoid operational and constitutional conflicts, it has also entrenched a harmonious and cooperative relationship amongst the various agencies, in the collective effort and partnerships to address the existing security challenges and enhance peace building initiatives.

“We need to add further, that the sustainable peace achieved in the creeks and riverine communities of Delta State, by the bold, brave and visionary strategies put in place by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa himself, has been overwhelmingly responsible for the substantial increase in oil revenues, which is the singular, most dominant contributor to the national treasury and major source of income that helped the inept APC administration at the Federal level, escape the stranglehold of self imposed national recession, as a result of its clueless economic policies.

“We are even more amazed and saddened by the foolishness of the APC Delta press statement, which claims to be concerned about the protection of Delta lives, when in fact, their own government at the centre has continued to turn a blind eye and pay lip service to the unprovoked attacks, maiming and perennial killings of helpless Nigerians, including Deltans, at the hands of these marauding, suspected cattle breeders and herdsmen across the country, even as they appear to seemingly be in complicity and offering full encouragement and support to these dastardly acts of premeditated killings in Delta and other Southern States in the country.

“It is a real shame that the Delta APC surreptitiously quoted Section 14 (2) (b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, which states that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government, without even realising, in its foolishness to sound intelligent, that this section is a greater and more damning indictment of the APC led Federal Government, under which national insecurity, an orgy of brazen and brutal killings, wanton loss of lives and horrendous destruction of properties across Nigeria, have become some of the ugly and unfortunate legacies of the President Muhammadu Buhari regime.

“The Delta PDP is even becoming progressively worried and more concerned and disturbed by the growing activities of unprovoked attacks, maiming and perennial killings of helpless Deltans and the wanton taking of lives and destruction of properties, particularly in the Abraka axis of the State where the strongman and so called ” peoples general” is lord and master and holds sway with unchallenged autocracy, over his fiefdom. We recall with great pride, how one of our members in the State House of Assembly, bravely and fearlessly routed these unscrupulous elements in a celebrated fight back against the siege on his constituency and yet we are left wondering how and why these suspected herdsmen have found a comfortable home and killing field in an area where the presence alone of a supposed “peoples general”, should have been an assurance that the lives and properties of his people ought to be fully secured and protected, rather than pillaged and destroyed. Can it be possible that the “peoples general” is actually supporting, aiding and abetting those who are killing, maiming and destroying his people, especially given the favourable position and policies of his party towards accommodating and encouraging herdsmen to settle in our midst? This is the fundamental question Deltans must ask about what is happening in the Abraka axis.

“There is no doubt whatsoever that the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa led administration has not only performed exceedingly well in the area of security and peace building in his first tenure and is now poised to do more in that area in his second term. Our hope and appeal is that those who truly love Delta State and their own people, should support the government and make greater individual effort in protecting the lives and properties of their own brothers and sisters, instead of churning out spurious and diversionary press statements to cover up, what can only be described as the sabotage of government efforts in an obvious strategy of cutting their nose to spite their face, for selfish political gains.

“We are therefore advising the Delta APC to first of all look inwards and remove the huge log in its eyes, so that it can see and appreciate the tremendous achievements of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa in the area of security and the protection of the lives of Deltans. If a so called “peoples general” can live so comfortably in a small environment like Abraka, while the unprovoked attack, maiming and perennial killings of helpless Deltans, the wanton taking of lives and destruction of properties is carried unchallenged and with deadly ease, by some marauding suspected cattle breeders and herdsmen, then we wonder what would have happened to the whole of Delta State if such a person is allowed to be in control of the governance of our dear State.

“We want to once again appreciate our traditional rulers and leaders, youths and women, our spiritual fathers and indeed the people of Delta State for voting for the continuation of peace and unity in our State with the overwhelming vote of trust and confidence in the reelection of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa (Ekwueme) for a well deserved second term.

“Our pledge is to consolidate on our efforts, as we commence our second tenure, to make Delta State better and stronger and ensure more prosperity and the good dividends of democracy for all Deltans.

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