…Says 69 Roads Completed, 79 Ongoing and Still Counting in the State.
By Michael Odiah
The Delta State Honorable Commissioner for Information, Hon Patrick Ukah has said that Local Government Councils in the State now receive their salaries as at when due.
Hon Ukah disclosed this to journalists Today at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) LGA election campaign rally in Oshimili South local Government, Asaba, adding that prayers have been going on for peace to return to Niger Delta which has now been attained and has aided the timely payment of local government salaries. While praying for the relative peace to continue, he hope that the menace facing the local government will be a thing of the past so that the local governments can be able to perform its roles as they ought to.
The Information Commissioner further said that, what is left now is for the State to have more money to enable it begin the payment of backlog of local government arrears adding that it was the lack of peace that affected the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the State that led to the lag in demands by the local government.
He noted that the state government understands the problems facing the local government and has not relented in its capacity, as it has built markets and handed them over to the local government taking cognizance of the Modern International Market in Okpe, Sapele and also another one in Owa-Alero(ongoing) amongst others adding that roads which were originally meant for the local government to construct had been constructed by His Excellency, Sen. Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, the Executive Governor of Delta State to help link rural areas to the urban centers and enable local farmers move their goods to urban centers.
Ukah hinted that the forthcoming LGA election is important to PDP which is why they have started going from local government to local government, from ward to ward, cell to cell, unit to unit, door to door and even person to person to spread the message adding that the Sen Okowa’s led administration has a record of 69 completed roads with 79 ongoing and still counting including other numerous basic amenities like the micro credit loans which have been given out to market women taking cognizance of his local government where 1300 persons are beneficiaries of micro credit loans who came during the campaign today to attest to it.
Hon Ukah however tasked the local government candidates with the need to use their influence to sustain the evident peace in the State.