Delta Governor, Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa, on Saturday, assured the people of the state of greater dividends of democracy in 2022, with a call for more prayers and support. He made the call in his New Year Message to the people and expressed gratitude to God for seeing Deltans through 2021 and into 2022, remarking that last year was a very challenging period for the state, its people, the nation, and the international community.
In the message contained in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Olisa Ifeajika, in Asaba, Okowa thanked Deltans for their continued support to his administration in the past six and half years and reaffirmed his commitment to making life better for Deltans and bequeathing a Stronger Delta to them. He urged the people to remain prayerful and trusting that God would do new things for them and the state in the New Year.
Likewise, we at Ika Weekly Newspaper observe as wisdom the state government disposition. And in like manner calls on the Royal Fathers/traditional rulers, political office holders at both state and Federal levels of Ika origin, illustrious sons and daughters of Ika nation in the corporate world among others, to close rank more in this New Year and develop our dear land.
Without any shadow of a doubt, Ika land has recently benefited immensely from the Delta state government led by our dear son, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Ekwueme Okowa. These areas of benefits include but are not limited to; infrastructural development, establishments of educational institutions, human capital development, and appointments in public offices among others.
But as we step into the year 2022, more facts have emerged and it has become overwhelmingly evident that the state government alone cannot develop our dear Ika nation for us. This fact, therefore, calls for productive collaboration by all men and women of goodwill of Ika origin.
We must learn to promote within the Ika nation and beyond equity, justice; peace, and development. We must recognize that without equity and justice, there will be no peace. And without peace, no society, group, or nation should contemplate development.
Similarly, this year, our understanding of development must very importantly entail an all-encompassing improvement, a process that builds on itself and involves both individuals and social change. It must come with some measures of distributive equity, modernization in social and cultural attitudes.
To achieve this purpose, our Newspaper calls on the ‘haves’ to assist and support the ‘have nots’. It is also important at this stage to state that most of our youths are currently out of school not because they are not intelligent or are not willing to be educated. Rather, finance is the militating factor.
These youths of Ika origin, who are the future leaders of our land, state, and nation must in our view, be identified and supported via scholarship schemes. We must not fail to remember the age-long adage which says that ‘charity begins at home.
In the same vein, most of our graduates are currently without a job. Some operate commercial motorcycles as a means of survival. We must note that riding a motorcycle popularly called ‘Okada’ is good but neither admirable nor glorious.
Viewed from this prism, we encourage our illustrious personalities too, in the interest of security; economic sustenance, and development of Ika nation, to help these teaming youth secure decent jobs.
We also urge owners of corporate organizations within and outside Ika nation, as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), to assist the land with infrastructural deployments.