Okowa’s First Term Exceeded Deltans’ Expectations – Macaulay

By Iteveh Ekpokpobe

In an appraisal, former Secretary to Delta State Government, Comrade Ovuozourie Macaulay, has stated that the bar of Deltans for what government should be has been raised higher than it was with the strides of Senator Ifeanyi Okowa between the 2015 and 2019 Delta state government history.

He said the mindset of Deltans was replicated in the support base Okowa enjoyed in the just concluded gubernatorial elections even with the challenges the polls posed.

According to him, Okowa gave Deltans peace so much so that their agitations were only hinged on looking forward to his government and leadership.

In the same vein, Macaulay commended the State Assembly for their role in fast tracking the development strikes of the governor through speedy consideration and passage of bills. “I have not heard of any fracas between them and the executive. With that they have done perfectly well. I don’t think they have done badly. Today, in Delta State, I can say we have more happy people than aggrieved.”

Macaulay, on a live programme, ‘Frank talk’ of the Voice Of Delta (VOD), with Akpati Ogwude, said the greatest challenge the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faced was that of security considering the fact that they were for the first time an opposition in Nigeria.

In his word, “The last election was very challenging. The challenges made everyone to sit up from the governor to the membership of the party. This was the first time the PDP was contesting as opposition. We were fighting from a weak point but by the end of the elections there was an unusual unity. It was unprecedented. However, the humility of Senator Ifeanyi Okowa was sterling hence it was easier to market him. Okowa’s level of humility, accessibility and response to issues greatly informed the victory.

“The greatest challenges were not the number of those who defected, but on security issues. Security is very necessary to the success of every election. Nevertheless, the support from the people overwhelmed everything. One thing that Okowa has working for him is experience. No matter the people he surrounds himself with, experience cannot be overemphasized. Okowa did well in his first four years. He raised the bar of expectations. A lot of people threw aside their grief for his sake.” Macaulay stressed.

Reeling out his expectations for Okowa’s second term, Macaulay stressed the need for government to place more emphasis on education and health sector, as well as consolidate on his projects by completing the ongoing.

”The first area which is a national issue is that of security. He must consolidate on his projects by completing them. He must lay more emphasis on health and education because they are the hallmark of human existence. Okowa should know the calibre of people he should appoint. Let God lead him to appoint people who are ready to build people and institutions rather than to build their selves. They must be people who are committed to delivering on the governor’s mandate.” Macaulay stressed.