This Day (Lagos) 21 January 2015 Nigeria: The Essential Ifeanyi Okowa By Jackson Ekwugum Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, boasts the requisite profile for the office. Surprise! Shock! Upset! Those were some of the words the media used to describe the emergence of Senator Ifeanyi Okowa as the Delta Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial standard bearer. But to those who know Senator Okowa, the result of the Delta PDP gubernatorial primary election was anything but surprising. It only cemented his profile as a consummate politician, consensus builder, and popular grassroots mobiliser. In 2010, when he contested for the Senate, he faced even more daunting prospects than the recently concluded governorship primary election. He battled for the party ticket with Mariam Ali, the wife of the then PDP national chairman. Not many people gave him a chance of winning as the party hierarchy was effectively aligned against him. There were suggestions from well-meaning people for him to opt for a ministerial appointment instead of fighting what looked like a lost cause. However, Okowa, who had just quit as the Secretary to the State Government, stayed the course and against all odds, defeated Mrs Ali with a landslide. With that in mind, what was surprising is that many people wrote him off from the gubernatorial contest even before it started. Senator Okowas journey into the political arena could be said to be fortuitous or divinely orchestrated depending on how you want to look at it. It began in 1991 during the ill-fated third republic. He was a medical practitioner at the time, and was approached by a group of politicians to participate in the emerging political process. After some initial hesitation, Okowa obliged and joined in the formation of the Social Democratic Party in Ika Local Government Area of Delta State. In the ensuing election, the party clinched victory and a satisfied Okowa quickly made a return to his clinic to continue his practice. However, fate played a fast one on him as the party appointed him the secretary to the local government. Again, he resisted the overture but after much persuasion he accepted the offer even though his salary in a month as LG Secretary was less than what he made in a day at his clinic. Destiny beckoned on him six months later when Ika North East Local Government was created and he became the pioneer Executive Chairman (1991-1993). His tenure witnessed the provision of electricity and promotion of small-scale business enterprises in such places as Ute-Ogbeje, Ute-Okpu, Igbodo, Owa, Ekwoma, and Mbiri. Since that humble beginning in 1991, Okowas political star has kept shining brighter and brighter. With the commencement of the fourth republic in 1999, Okowa joined the Peoples Democratic Party and made valuable contributions to the formation and growth of the party in Delta State. Subsequently, he was appointed Commissioner for Agriculture and Water Resources, and under his watch, there were remarkable strides in oil palm, pineapple and cowpea plantations, provision of loan facilities through cooperative societies and the supply of farm inputs and tractor hire services. There were also cassava projects, inputs for modern fish farming, and the use of agricultural development and procurement agencies for the benefit of the farming communities throughout Delta State. He also served as Commissioner for Water Resources, where he engendered the introduction and sustenance of solar-powered water schemes and rehabilitation of urban and rural water provision centres across many communities in the State. Okowa subsequently headed the Ministry of Health, and was Secretary to the State Government (2007-2010) before he resigned and contested for election into the 7th Senate of the National Assembly. However, as impressive as his political profile is, it is pertinent to point out that this is not what defines Okowa as a person. What has distinguished him from politicians of his generation is his compassion and selfless commitment to empowering the people economically. Senator Okowa is a man genuinely touched by the suffering of people and he tries his best to make a difference in their lives. In virtually all local governments in Delta State, you will find people who are ready to swear by him because of how he has helped to transform their lives. His yearly Empowerment Day as a Senator has served to lift a number of people in Delta North Senatorial District out of poverty. In one of those events, Senator Smart Adeyemi (PDP Kogi West) rightly observed that Senator Okowa is an advocate of good standard of living for the downtrodden. As a person, Okowa is intelligent, articulate, and very meticulous. Despite his lofty standing in the society, Okowa remains simple, humble, accessible, and very respectful of others. You hardly hear him speak evil of others, not even political opponents including those who betrayed him in the past. He displays a depth of understanding of the issues that affect his people and Nigerians as a whole. Quietly but steadily, he is leaving his imprints on the sands of time. Without much ado, he has distinguished himself in the Senate where in three years he sponsored twelve bills, an achievement that Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan described as a feat. As Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, he sponsored the National Health Bill which was recently signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan. Among other things, the Act provides a framework for the regulation, development, and management of a National Health System and set standards for rendering health services in the federation. Kicking off his governorship campaign in Oghara recently, Okowa proved once again what a political force he is. The Oghara Township Stadium, venue of the event, was agog with party faithful and enthusiastic supporters despite threats from the Chief Joe Omene-led Urhobo Progress Union to sanction any Urhobo, who supported a non-Urhobo for the governorship. Gaining entrance into the stadium was a nightmare on its own, and even the scores of security personnel deployed to the venue appeared flustered, apparently overwhelmed by the surging crowd. Cars were parked within some five-mile radius of the stadium causing a gridlock on the Sapele-Oghara expressway. Inside the stadium, it was a carnival-like atmosphere. Different support and dance groups sought to outdo one another with their performances. The same scenario played out in Koko town in Warri North Local Government where the campaign train moved to immediately after the kick-off in Oghara. The following day, January 14, Senator Okowa and his campaign team landed in Orerokpe in Okpe Local Government Area and rounded off the days activities in Sapele town, bringing to an end, the first leg of his campaign in Delta Central Senatorial District. According to a supporter who was in Oghara and Sapele, Senator Okowa is truly pan-Deltan. I am amazed. Surprised by the unfolding events, a former member of the House of Representatives from Delta South remarked: My fears about Delta Central were unfounded. In Oghara, the closing of ranks in the state PDP was also evident as Steve Oru, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, and a prominent member of the UPU, sang a song eulogising Okowa. At each of the campaign stop, the message from Senator Okowa was basically the same - to build a united and prosperous Delta State when voted in as governor. Amid thunderous applauses he reiterated his commitment to take Delta State to the status of the pacesetter in the Nigerian federation by building an enduring legacy of wealth and prosperity. With the campaign theme of Prosperity for all Deltans, Senator Okowa has outlined a five-point agenda with the acronym S.M.A.R.T } Strategic Wealth Creation Initiatives and Provision of Jobs for all Deltans } Meaningful Peace Building Platforms aimed at Political/Social Stability } Agricultural Reforms and Industrialisation } Relevant Health and Education Policies } Transformed Environment through Massive Urban Renewal Okowa promised that under his tenure, deliberate effort will be made to generate employment and productive livelihood for the teeming youth population, which will go a long way in reducing undue conflict in social relations and community lives. Speaking of his plans for commerce and industry, Okowa said he was determined to continue on the path of progress embarked on by the present administration in the state. My administration, he promised, shall complete and consolidate the Warri Industrial Park and establish other Industrial Parks geared towards the agri-business sector. A key component of my wealth creation strategy is to encourage multi-national business and industrial activities to settle down and operate in the host communities; and aggressive creation and promotion of Micro, Small and Medium Scale enterprises (MSMEs), which form the fulcrum of driving economic growth in any society. Noting that Delta State has vast potential in the production of yams, cassava, potatoes, plantain, and tomatoes, Senator Okowa pledged to encourage and create the enabling environment for commercial farming to thrive through the private sector and Public/Private Partnership using and improving on the Ekpan Fish farmers model. He bemoaned the poverty situation in the country, where poor people sometimes had to borrow from money lenders at suffocating interest rates to pay hospital bills. Dr Okowas solution to the problem is the promulgation of Universal Health Insurance Policy under which, he claimed, every Deltan will have equal access to health care. According to him, Ghana has been able to achieve 60% health insurance coverage for its citizens. There is no reason we cannot do the same here. Furthermore, the governorship hopeful declared that my administration shall establish a Technical College in each Federal Constituency to equip our young people with the requisite skills and expertise in such trades as plumbing, painting, carpentry, tiling, and electrical work; and thereby connecting our people to the realities of the modern workplace and business environment. He described a situation where Nigerians have to depend solely on other nationals to carry out such work as unacceptable. It is not wrong to patronise these people because they are also part of our community, he pointed out. But it should not be heard that Nigerians cannot perform such tasks. Technical education is meant to fill the gap and equip our people with the right skill-sets to be proficient and productive in their endeavours. Speaking about his plans for urban renewal, Okowa noted that Delta is a blessed state because it is about the only state in the federation that can boast at least twelve cities such as Asaba, Warri, Sapele, Agbor, Ughelli, Obiaruku, and Bomadi to name a few. He promised to undertake massive urban renewal during his tenure as governor adding that at least one city or urban settlement in each of the 10 federal constituencies will be designated for comprehensive renewal to discourage rural-urban migration. -Ekwugum wrote from Asaba
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 07:01:37 +0000
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