The once famous Ethiope Salt which produces one of the best salts in the country and a fishery firm, Shrimps Company both in Oghara town will be revived to boost employment and the economy of Delta State, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has assured.
Omo-Agege, who is the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, said his administration’s economic blueprint encompasses the revamping of moribund industries including the now abandoned Independent Power Plant (IPP) in Oghara and other abandoned industries across the state.
The Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate made the promises when his ward-to-ward campaign stormed the various wards in Oghara, the hometown of former Governor James Ibori and Mosogar, the hometown of Senator Ighoyota Amori, in the Ethiope West Local Government Area of the state.
He stated that the now moribund Ethiope Salt and Shrimps Company which used to be the economy live-wire of Oghara and its environs will be revamped if he emerges governor in the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
Omo-Agege also promised to reduce tuition fees in the state-owned higher institutions, stressing that the recent hike in school fees was far beyond the reach of ordinary citizens in their quest to provide quality education for their children.
While stating that he would run a transparent government, the Delta Central lawmaker disclosed that he would build a Central Truck Park for tankers visiting the area to lift petroleum products to avert similar incidents like the 1998 Jesse pipeline explosion where over 1,000 persons died.
While vowing to keep his promises to Deltans, the APC governorship candidate said, “I have committed that as the next governor of Delta State, I will be judicious, I will be equitable, and I will be fair in the distribution of our resources so that everybody will get their resources.
“As I was coming, looking at Oghara, everywhere you go you see trailers and tankers. You know how dangerous that thing is, with one explosion you know the consequences. It happened once in Jesse where so many people died. And as a result of our ‘urban renewal agenda,’ we are going to construct a Central Truck Park outside of this place so that it will no longer be a menace to our people.
“And that IPP project was conceived to be in Ogharaeki and it will come back there. If Okowa likes let him take the things and run. All we know is that we voted for an IPP here in Ogharaeki and we have already spent N20b and that N20b we know what we got with it. At least I know of 125 megawatts of turbine that we purchased. He will bring them back. He must come back here. Here in Ogharaeki, there is supposed to be a modern school, were you given? Did they not take it from you? What did the Oghara people do to Okowa?
“Not only that, our fathers and mothers that worked for local government councils and state government, refused to pay them their pensions. Some of them have died, and some are crying. All their pension entitlement if you check our manifesto called the ‘EDGE AGENDA’ we wrote it down that within six months of our emergence as the next governor, we will pay all of those pension arrears.
“Our children that are going to school, look at them they have no money but yet they are increasing school fees. Meanwhile, Delta State is about the only state in the South-South that has refused to implement the minimum wage for councils and primary school, teachers. So the salaries of our parents and workers here have remained constant, yet the university fees are being increased by Okowa. So, who is going to pay? When I become governor, we are going to reduce the school fees and our people will get the minimum wage.
“And then this is Oghara, we know what Oghara used to look like before. The salt factory where did it go to? Is there no salt in that water again? Now, what about the Shrimps Company? Is there no shrimp in the water anymore?
“We are going to bring back those companies. What made Oghara thick in those days we are going to bring them back, because the raw materials that they were using, are still here. We are going to create enabling environment so that those people will come back here and set up or revive their companies again.”
In his remark, the founding leader of Delta APC and former governorship candidate of the party in 2015, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor urged the people of the state to vote for APC in all elections in forthcoming elections.
Emerhor posited that the incoming APC government bring the eluded development in the state, adding that Oghara is now the shadow of its old self.
“When I look at the faces of our people, I can see young people and women but I can’t see them smiling.
“Sixteen years is what I heard. No employment, no road, nothing, pensioners they didn’t pay. These people are very wicked.
“Now that it is the turn of Delta Central to produce a governor, Okowa that has not done anything for you decided that he is the one who is going to choose the person for you. Do you know that the person he chooses is the ‘deve’ he collects?
“Bola Ahmed Tinubu, vote APC for the presidency because is our person. He’s our friend, I can talk to him about Ogharaeki. Jagaban is Agege’s friend, they are working together. He will listen to him,” here, therefore, charge Deltans to vote for all APC candidates.
