Chairman of Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta state, Friday Ovoke Warri has stated that despite paucity of funds, his administration will stop at nothing providing dividends of democracy to the people.
The council chairman who stated this on Friday while briefing the press of his achievements in one hundred days in office at Oleh headquarters of the council, noted that he took over mantle of leadership on the July, 15, 2024 and upon assumption of office, he met challenges he never envisaged.
“When you received mantle of leadership you have to inherit assets and liabilities. I deem it fit that it is my responsibility to do the needful, and give knock to the things I need to give knock to. Upon assumption of office, I took a walk around the premises and the community, Oleh that is housing the local government headquarter, getting to the expressway, Ogbemudia road that has been with bad spot for decades. I told the management of the local government council that in the next couple of weeks we are going to change the narrative. Today, before the 100 days in office, it is a done deal, you can go there and verify.
“The Chairman’s quarter that has been so dilapidated that even you cannot allow your pets to stay in the premises, today we are doing it, if not almost rebuilding, I make bold to say we are doing 75 percent renovation. We have attained over 65 percent job completion. And before the year runs out it will be a completed project. This local government has been in existence for years but the narrative remain the same and we cannot call it the ancient city of Isoko South, I also met with the management team of the local government council and we deem it fit to give the environment a facelift, hence, we are embarking on construction of a modernize gate and fencing of the premises.
“The project is on going, by the special grace of God before the year runs out it will be a completed project. Also, the Head of Personal Management quarter (HPM) we are still embarking on it. In the cost of this 100 days in office we have moved round the communities in the local government where there are crisis, in Olomoro there was crisis but today there is peace in Olomoro. As you also aware, I am from a community Okpolo-Enhwe and Enhwe two autonomous communities, we have the Enhwe axis and Okpolo-Enhwe axis. I am from the Okpolo axis, the Enhwe axis were equally having leadership tussle and today peace has equally returned to the community.
In the course of our visitation, we visited Ikpide-Irri community where we discovered that the primary school over there is having just only one teacher and the teacher is also the headmistress of the school. We saw things for ourselves and even the buildings in the school are nothing to write home about. We are working on a modality before we celebrate one year in office it will be a change of story. We are working went the Local Education Authority Secretary and some Managements and within couple of days, sizeable numbers of teachers will be posted to the school.
“Upon assumption of office the Oleh, Yanga junction was a death trap for those residing within the area and travellers. In our September monthly environmental sanitation we pushed out almost all the illegal structures especially the ones under the high tension wires. Some of them are back to the same spot we asked the leave, but I can assure you that place, in no distance time it will be a beautiful site to behold in Isoko South. Before now, most of our staff did not bothered coming to work but as of today I can score the staff of Isoko South Local Government Council 85 percent because before 8 O’clock all of them are already in the premises for work.
“Today, we enjoy peace in the entire Isoko South Local Government Area and his environs. Upon my assumption of office I made bold to say that it is not going to be business as usual, I will not be that kind of chairman who govern from afar. Today, it might interest you to know I don’t want to mention nmaes, even though the chairman quarter is not ready yet, I stay in my own village, I am not even staying in a hotel.
“The era of looting council funds is over. I could have as well say let the local government council be paying for a five star hotel for me to stay within the Oleh metropolis, but I am staying in my village coming to work from my house in my village in irrespective of the distance. If I, the chairman resumed before 8 O’clock in the morning and I close 4 to 5 pm in the evening, then the issue of council chairman governing the local government from afar or coming only when there is allocation is something of the past, you can verify.”
On the issue of local government autonomy, Warri said “the Federal Government has announced the Local Government Autonomy but today most people feel the money has been coming to the local government council. On a lighter note the process is still on going. Like the federal government has assured us that, there is no going back on the local government autonomy. We have a lot to achieve in the course of this three years administration as the case may be.
“Allocation is coming but is very minimal. We all know the peculiarity of Isoko South with a lot of primary school teachers that is feasting on our allocation but we are looking for a way round it to see how those who are throughly working, sitting in classrooms will receive the salary and some of them who are in abroad better remain where they are.”
