ASABA—COMMISSIONER  Bureau for Special Duties, Delta State, Hon. Chika Ossai, has said that the current administration of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa was the best thing to have happened to the people of Ndokwa nation since 1999.

The Commissioner whose bureau supervises the Pilgrims Boards, Christian and Muslim, handles fire outbreaks and natural disasters, said in Asaba  that by and large in the state, the governor has delivered the dividends of democracy in his first one-year in office, adding that no reasonable Deltan would aver otherwise.

His words: “The attention we have experienced in my local govermnent area, Ndokwa East, within the first one year of Okowa government, we have not experienced it from the PDP government in the state since 1999.

“I can categorically tell you that apart from commissioner and the normal House of Assembly position, we have more than 20 persons in this government and regarding infrastructure, yes Ndokwa East is riverside area, but we have the Benekuku road that leads to Kwale , it has been awarded.

“After the rainy season, the contractor will move to site. In Kwale, that is Ndokwa West, there are five roads just awarded. He did the same thing in Ukwuani local government and there is one major one, he has also awarded the road that leads from Owheologbo to Abi. Generally, he has done well, my people are happy with Okowa,” he said.

Eleborating further, he said: “The government has done very well and I do not think there is any Deltan that will raise his head and say Okowa has not done well. He is best thing to happen to Ndokwa.

“What I will say is that people should follow the policies of Okowa government, nobody should feel marginalized, of course, we have our various interests, but if you follow government policies, you will know where you will fit in and join others to develop the state.”

On the achievements by his ministry, Ossai disclosed: “We achieved so many things, though my ministry is not a full-blown project-awarding ministry, we dwell more on humanitarian activities. My ministry supervises the Pilgrims Board, both Christian and Muslim, State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA and of course, the Fire Service. We have done a lot attending to natural disasters, including last year’s flood, fire outbreak within the states and all that.

“The major challenge we have managing flood in the state is people building within the waterways, but we have made our recommendation to the Ministry of Environment on things to take up. In 2016, we do not expect much flooding in the state, but we have put in place measures to tackle emergencies.”

Speaking on the peculiar challenges of fire outbreaks and management, he said: “People may not know that there have been many fire out-breaks ranging from public schools, hotels, private roads and markets, but the good thing is that the Fire Service stations are on alert anytime they call them.”

“The challenge, however, is the victims themselves, some of them when there is out-break, they are unable to call fire service men immediately, it is then you will see that they do not have the numbers of fire service men even with all our jingles and  adverts.

He added: “And even when they call because of the anxiousness or situation the find themselves, they would just tell you fire, fire, fire and cut their phone without saying the location. You start calling back and before they pick again, many things may have gone wrong.

“In such cases, before the fire men got there, a lot of time had been wasted and fire gotten so far. However, we always handle the situation, I think we have done very well in that aspect and His Excellency, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has given us a platform to perform. Out of the 19 stations, we have 14 stations fully equipped.”