MON, AUGUST 13 2018-theG&BJournal-Pat Utomi, a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) party weekend inaugurated the ‘Delta Transformation Think-Tank’ consisting of renowned economists and technocrats and announced his plans for the immediate rescue and revamp of his native Delta State.
The state’s governorship aspirant urged members of the Think-Tank chaired by Engineer Moses Kragha, and includes Bismarck Rewana (Vice Chairman), Mrs Claire Omatseye, Dere Awoshika as well as Henry Okolo to treat their assignment as if their lives depend on it ‘’because in a manner of speaking it does.’’
‘’We are counting on the deployment of your knowhow, know why and experience to achieve transformation in Delta,’’ he told members of the Think-Tank and notable Nigerians and Deltans who heeded this clarion call to foster a new dawn of much needed transformational leadership in his beloved Delta State.
According to the renowned political economist, if we do not rise to this imperative of our privilege as people who are educated and know better, it may be hard for us on the day of accounting. I turned to you not looking unto the fear of judgment but in the knowledge that you are a people of compassion who share with me the burden of watching the poverty of a people surrounded by natural affluence of the talent of its people, the state’s factor endowments and the good fortune of an ocean-facing economy in an age of globalisation. We cannot afford to fail.’’
He outlined his agenda which he said will give the Think-Tank a sense for the priorities as seen by all and they include ending poverty through job creation, ensuring productivity growth though good health, creation of transition jobs in public service, freeing up resources by restructuring the state debts and a comprehensive housing strategy to enhance quality of life.
He also listed infrastructure surge and the empowerment of rural communities as other areas of focus.
‘’Distinguished companions, I want to urge that our time frame for this revolution to get into irreversible gear is three years and six months,’’ he said.
Utomi was highly critical of the present operators of the system in Delta state and slammed them for lacking the capacity to attract capital to the state. He said their ineptitude reminds us of Delta State as ‘’the greatest example of resource curse in Nigeria.’’
‘’The challenge is to reverse this phenomena of Delta as a resource curse and make it the home of prosperity.’’
Utomi explained why he had to convene the Think-Tank in Lagos. He said it is to underline the role the Diaspora needs to play in the rescue of Delta.
‘’Many of our gifted live outside the heartland of the Big Heart. Their connection with this renewal mission will, God willing, grow into such historical proportions as the returning Japanese Diaspora from Europe triggered a National advancement following the Meiji Restoration and how both the Chinese and Indian Diaspora have spurred the modern transformation of their respective countries.’’
Engineer Kragha said the assignment given to him and the team delights and excites him because the usual starting points has been taken care of because of their huge file of past reports to build on.
‘’We will get these reports and collect what we need from them,’’ he said.
Kragha said that the town Burutu as often been mentioned in the past, should be the major focus for the state’s infrastructure take-off-the idea has always been to make it a transhipment centre, a hub with rail, road, air and shipping hub.
‘’If we succeed in making the area our take-off point and build it up as a hub we are on our way to transforming Delta state,’’ Kragha said.
