This would be made possible by one of the top-tier governorship hopeful in the state, Olorogun Barr. Kenneth Gbagi, who has begun to open his black box for Deltans. Gbagi, an industrialist has much on his brain box to offer.
One of his biggest plans for Deltans is a one million housing units for the people in one year and four million housing units in four years. He has a dream of making life beautiful for all residents.
By 2023, if given the opportunity to govern, the state, Delta is definitely heading to be heavily industrialised.
He explained in details that he has completed discussion with his development partners outside the country who will invest in the housing units for Deltans. He said what is important in governance is confidence. He believes that when investors have confidence in a government, investment will flow in with ease.
He said in the last five years, nobody has invested money in Nigeria. And the reasons are obvious, the investors do not have confidence in the government of the nation. But once there is confidence, investors will begin to move in and invest their money in different sectors of the national economy.
He said there is no need keeping money in banks or in homes where it is not useful. He believes that untill money is invested where it would yield, it is not useful to the owner.
“No matter the amount of money in your house , it will not yield any interest unless you invest it in business ventures. It is then and only then will it yield the required dividends for the owner,” Gbagi restated, adding: “I will build one million housing units per annum. In four years, I would have done four million.”
For some people with low mind, this is not achievable but not so with Gbagi, an industrial minded individual who is keen on deploying his entrepreneurial skills to continue from where Governor Ifeanyi Okowa will stop.
Gbagi gave kudos to the governor, he told Emerald News editor that Okowa has done excellently well in his development efforts. Today, almost all roads in the state are now motorable. Asaba, the state capital and Okpanam, a suburb of the capital city are classical examples of the development drive of Governor Okowa’s administration.
Prior to Okowa’s emergence, Okpanam road was a death trap. Major roads in Asaba, DLA road, Agric road, Jesus Saves road, and many other internal roads in Asaba were never motorable during the rains and even during the dry season, they were laden with heavy bumps and potholes. But the governor has changed the narrative. People living in these areas are now happy and showering praises on the governor. But in 2023, the administration will end, giving way to a new one.
Besides the roads, Okowa has completed a massive secretariat for civil servants where all ministries in the state will be housed. Also, the governor has built another massive Teachers’ Development Centre in Owa Oyibu for training of teachers in the state and beyond. With these and others too numerous to mention, the governor has printed his name in gold. These are legacy projects Governor Okowa will be remembered for in years to come because they are life time investments.
Gbagi, if given the opportunity is set to build massively on the success story of the Okowa government. He has said it time without number that he is set to turn Delta to the investment hub of Nigeria. He has the blue print. He said this was done in Lagos and other parts of the world where industrialists were pulled together and there was an explosion of investment.
Gbagi insisted that he would make Delta another great place for people to live in. He noted without mincing words that Delta needed a business , security cum legal and industrial mind to turn it around. Hear him: “We cannot pretend to the youths. If we continue to pretend to the youths, they will come to our homes and chase us away. Whether we like it or not, the youths must have food on their table to survive. This is not negotiable.”
For him, the narrative needed be changed. It behoves on the governor to see the potentials in him and clear the way. He said the one million housing units will be distributed across the 25 local government areas, pointing out that commerce, population and viability of each local government will determine the quantum of housing units that will be located in each.
He told this journalist on phone, “My government will recognise local government as the hub of economic activities in the state. At the end of my first tenure, there won’t be any need for somebody from Ughelli South to move to Ughelli North to look for job or somebody from Ethiope East looking for job in Ndokwa West or someone from Aniocha North moving to Warri to look for job. Why, we will make all local governments substantially viable.”
He went further: “What I’m telling you is that every local government in the state, within 12 months, will become viable for commerce, industry and employment for our youths. That is our plan and we are set for it. We will devolve powers to the local governments. We know what to do and how to do it. Just like I created 13 Universities in less than one year in Nigeria, created 16 Colleges of Education, 14 polytechnics, eight Federal Government Girls Colleges, 244 Almajiri schools, I know what to do in Delta.”
He said all these institutions put together have generated over 11 million gainful employments across the length and breadth of Nigeria, adding that his administration would eradicate unemployment from the state. In this wise, he also commended the governor for the jobs he created for the youths in Delta. Through the Governor Okowa’s STEP, YAGEP, and other youth programmes both in the skills acquisition programme and the ones being executed in the ministry of youths, he said the governor has touched thousands of youths in the state.
On the allocation of the one million housing units to Deltans, Olorogun Gbagi said:” We will make sure that by the time we are finishing our first term in office, every single civil servant in Delta state must have owned a home of his/her own. Hold me accountable, after my first year anniversary, you will see all those houses already occupied by Deltans. These houses will be delivered within 12 months. Government will not spend a dime on it, the investors will sponsor the buildings.
“The houses will be classified: we have one bedroom, two bedroom, three bedroom, four bedrooms and duplexes. We have the masterplan of the state already and our development partners are working on it. The United Nations has a declaration that everybody must he sheltered and our government will do exactly that without fail.”
He explained that he had done such before when he was chairman of Delta Development Property Authority (DDPA).
For him, there is nothing one is living for other than making life beautiful and good for others who are less privileged. “We need to be selfless and help the masses with our foresightedness. You will be shocked when we take over government, you will see a tsunami. The whole place will change,” he said.
He said Delta is bigger, larger by population, landmass and everything than 42 countries of the world. Hence, he said Delta is a country “and I’m going to operate Delta as a country. I have a masterplan to operate Delta as a country and not just a state. And being the biggest investor in the state with 12,000 people earning their livelihood from his investment daily, he is keen on using his entrepreneurial gifts to make Delta a haven for all.
