For years, the Delta State Job and Wealth Creation Office stood as a symbol of hope for thousands of unemployed youths and struggling entrepreneurs. Under the leadership of Professor Eric Eboh, the office became a platform for skills acquisition, enterprise development, and economic empowerment. Through programmes such as STEP, YAGEP, and GEEP, many young Deltans found pathways to self-reliance and productivity.
Today, however, that once vibrant institution appears to have slipped into troubling quietness. Since the appointment of Comrade Ifeanyi Egwunyenga as Chief Job and Wealth Creation Officer, public expectations have steadily given way to disappointment.
Across communities, campuses, and professional circles, the same question is being asked: What exactly is happening in the Job Creation Office? For over a year, there has been little evidence of structured training programmes or large-scale empowerment schemes. No major youth skills cycles. No visible enterprise support. No widely known beneficiary lists. No measurable impact reports. For an office established specifically to tackle unemployment, this silence is alarming.
The contrast with the past is impossible to ignore.
Under Prof. Eboh, the bureau regularly announced new cohorts, released beneficiary data, and showcased success stories. Thousands were trained in ICT, agriculture, fashion, welding, catering, and other vocational fields. Starter packs were distributed. Small businesses were supported. Youths were visibly engaged. Communities felt the presence of government. Today, that momentum appears to have stalled.
While there have been occasional announcements about business support initiatives and empowerment windows, their outcomes remain unclear. There have been little or no reporting of results. Without transparent reporting, citizens are left to speculate whether these programmes truly exist beyond official statements.
This situation raises serious concerns.
Is the office suffering from funding constraints? Has bureaucratic red tape crippled its operations? Is there a lack of strategic direction? Or does the problem lie in leadership capacity and execution? Whatever the explanation, none justifies prolonged inactivity in an agency entrusted with the economic future of Delta’s youth.
Leadership in a job creation bureau demands more than political experience. It requires vision, innovation, coordination with the private sector, and relentless focus on outcomes. It demands the ability to turn policy into practical opportunity. Without these, even the best institutional framework becomes ineffective.
The implications of this apparent stagnation are severe. Unemployment breeds frustration. Frustration fuels crime, migration, and social instability. When young people lose faith in public institutions, they turn to survival strategies that weaken society. Delta State cannot afford this erosion of trust at a time when economic resilience is more important than ever.
The Job Creation Office was not created to exist as a ceremonial department. It was designed to be an engine of empowerment, productivity, and hope. Allowing it to drift into irrelevance is a disservice to taxpayers and to the thousands of young people who depend on it.
If Comrade Egwunyenga’s administration of the bureau is to regain credibility, urgent steps must be taken. First, the office must publish clear and verifiable data on its activities, budgets, and beneficiaries. Transparency is not optional; it is a fundamental duty of government office.
Second, structured training and empowerment programmes must be relaunched with defined timelines, targets, and monitoring mechanisms.
Third, partnerships with private firms, financial institutions, and development agencies must be strengthened to expand opportunities beyond government funding.
Finally, regular public engagement is essential. Citizens deserve to know what is being done in their name and with their resources.
The people of Delta State are not asking for miracles. They are asking for evidence of work, impact, and commitment.
The Job and Wealth Creation Bureau once represented possibility. Today, it risks becoming a symbol of wasted potential.
The question remains: Will its leadership rise to the responsibility of reviving that promise, or will this vital institution continue to fade into bureaucratic obscurity? The future of Delta youth may depend on the answer from the office.
