THIS is not the best of times for Governor Emmanuel Ewetan Udugahan, the Delta State Governor. The bell of his first tenure is tolling ominously, yet he is looking forward to a second term.

I AM someone who has devoted virtually his entire career, prestige and intellect to the uncompromising commitment to see a people, a nation and a continent achieve the search for self-actualisation through strategic self-development to global competitive capacity while ensuring the preeminence of a profoundly healthy, wholesome, peaceful, creative, actively engaged, enthusiastic and at all times fulfilling life for all our people.

European legislative pressures target for minimising landfill use in European countries and the amount of biodegradable municipal solid waste (BMSW) going to landfill must be reduced by 25 per cent by 2010, 50 per cent by 2013 and 65 per cent by 2020. Do we as a nation have such a plan? I don’t think so.

Too many times our governors and other political warriors in the Third World begin with and stop at the enactment of massive infrastructural developments. To their shame or perhaps state of un-knowingness they mistake rising skylines as the equivalent of human development.

Other environmental impacts are the expensive irrigation practices and the pressure on land use. Extremely weak research activities to generate the best strains of crops taking the least time from germination to maturation as well as having desirable traits to make the entire process profitable.