2024 : Delta, Kebbi, Kwara, Osun Governors Extend New Year Greetings, Send ‘Important’ Messages To Citizens

Governor  Sheriff Oborevwori , Governor Nasiru Idris , Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Governor Ademola Adeleke of Delta, Kebbi, Kwara and Osun states respectively, have congratulated their respective citizens as they welcomed the New Year 2024 promising that it will usher in a bright future for them.

Delta state governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori in a statement made available to Team@orientactualmags.com by his Chief Press Secretary, Sir Festus Ahon,  assured  residents and citizens of  the state  of his administration’s commitment to sustainable development and advancement of the state through his MORE Agenda while urging them to continue to remain united, focused and peaceful as they enter the year 2024. 

Governor Oborevwori also  reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to providing quality and enhanced service delivery to Deltans, and expressed confidence that God would perfect everything concerning Delta and Nigeria  as a whole in the New Year. 

 He noted that  2023 was a challenging but a very eventful year and  thanked God for what his administration has achieved in the past seven months. 

He urged the people of the state to remain prayerful, peaceful and law- submitting that he has trust in  God  that He would make arrangements for greater things for the people of the state in the New Year. 

‘With profound gratitude to God Almighty, I extend a warm welcome to each and every one of you in the year 2024. I join you in thanking God for His protection and direction during the preceding year, 2023. 

I appreciate immensely the unalloyed support and cooperation that our administration has enjoyed from Deltans; this has been a huge source of encouragement and strength to the government. 

I appreciate our collective resolve to continue to live together in peace in spite of the economic challenges our people are grappling with, especially with the removal of subsidy on petrol in the country. 

Given our modest strides in the past seven months, I have no doubt that, with the same level of cooperation from the good people of Delta state, we will achieve more in all facets of governance and development in the coming year. 

With the amazing support I enjoy from the legislature, the judiciary, the civil service, traditional and religious leaders and my team of political appointees, I am very optimistic about advancing Delta state in 2024. 

To demonstrate our readiness to hit the ground running in 2024, we are one of the first states in the country to sign our 2024 Budget into law, and we are prepared for the onerous task of providing the people with good governance. 

Furthermore, our administration recorded huge milestones in just six months in office with the award of N78 billion contracts for flyovers, cloverleaf, pedestrian bridges and road expansion projects in Warri and Effurun area of the state to the world class construction giant, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc’ he said. 

The governor added that his administration has, in the last seven months, kept faith with his promises to the people, assuring that more developments would be recorded  in the coming months and years. 

‘We have been doing our best to ensure that the developmental needs of the state are attended to by applying the level of prudence and fiscal discipline that the present challenges demand’ he added. 

The governor has also  urged Deltans to remain peaceful and live in amity with their neighbours in order to enhance security in the state, which, according to him, is one of the core elements of the MORE agenda. 

‘My dear people of Delta, there cannot be any meaningful development without peace as nothing tangible can be achieved in an atmosphere of strife and acrimony. 

Therefore, it is essential that we maintain good relationships with our neighbours in order for the government to allocate the limited funds it has to the advancement of our communities. 

By the grace of God, the year 2024 promises to be a greater year of God’s blessings to our people and my prayer is that Almighty will meet Deltans and other Nigerians at the point of their needs. 

Be assured that we will continue, as always, to ensure that Delta remains secured just as social services, including the provision of infrastructure, will be given adequate attention in the New Year. 

So, let us look up to the new year with the same zeal of a people with capacity to excel even in difficult situations. 

On behalf of my family, the government and people of Delta state, I wish you all a very prosperous New Year ahead’ he submitted.

Kebbi state governor, Dr. Nasir Idris,  the Kauran Gwandu, has also  urged  residents and citizens of the state to sustain the existing  peace and unity in the state and the  country as a whole .

The Kauran Gwandu also added that all Nigerians should continue to persevere in order to make  the country great again as the dreamland of the citizens.

The governor added that Kebbi state people  must also embrace brotherliness and tranquility as they celebrate the New Year,  submitting  that 2024 will by the grace of God bring many glad tidings to Kebbi state and Nigeria in general.

Dr. Idris emphasized the need for sincere patriotism by Nigerians, to enable the country remain on the trajectory of economic growth and national development.

‘Unity is a panacea for development, as Nigeria’s diversity should serve as foundation for nation- building. Our diversity is our strength.

This diversity should be used to unite the country, while our demographic strength should be  the catalyst to take Nigeria to greater heights’ he said.

Governor Idris in a statement made available to Team@orientactualmags.com by his Special Adviser, Mr. Yahaya Sarki  noted that Kebbi state is blessed with abundant  human capital and natural resources which should be fully deployed to attain more greatness.

The governor also urged  Kebbi state people to use this special season to offer fervent  prayers for the nation, its leaders at all levels and people of the state to appreciate the ongoing infrastructural development in  the state. 

He restated his commitment to fulfilling his campaign promises to develop all sectors of the state, to attract more investments within and outside the country and make the people of the state proud of the ‘Land of Equity’ .

‘ Already in my first one hundred days in office,  my administration has achieved  monumental infrastructural development. 

I am assuring that more and more developments will come to Kebbi state including empowerment of our teeming women and youths for socio -economic wellbeing’ he added.

Kwara state governor, Mallam  AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has also congratulated the people of the state on the new year of the Gregorian calendar, urging them to work with his administration to promote sustainable development and a more fulfilling (new) year. 

Governor AbdulRazaq in  his  New Year message to the people of the state,  commended Kwarans for always acting out the epithet of being a state of harmony which is a major selling point of  the state.

Assuring that  his administration  will continue to deliver on its core mandate of ensuring safety of lives and property, maintaining law and order, and providing basic amenities and infrastructure within available resources,  AbdulRazaq in a statement made available to Team@orientactualmags.com by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Rafiu Ajakaye  also called for more positive energy and constructive engagement of various agencies of government and representatives of the people for better service deliveries. 

The governor urged Nigerians to support government’s reforms, including the ones being carried out by President Bola Tinubu, saying the objective is to build a more resilient economy that gives everyone a fair shot in life. 

‘The governor wishes Kwarans and other Nigerians a more fulfilling New Year (2024), beseeches God to guide and protect the citizens, and asks everyone to be the ideal Nigerian or global citizen they would like to see or relate with in every space’ the statement said.

In a televised speech on Monday, Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun state has also congratulated residents and citizens of the state  and extended New Year greetings to them.

He restated commitment to the five-point agenda of his administration while chronicling the achievements already recorded on his watch.  

‘I extend New Year greetings to the elders of Osun state; to our royal fathers; to our religious leaders; to the young and the old; to professional elites, to artisans, to students and to  the womenfolk. Accept my sincere appreciation for your support before my election and for the last one year of my governorship of our dear state. I am humbled by your prayers and mass support for our administration.

I remain firmly focused on the Five- Point Agenda under which you, Osun people, elected us into office. We reaffirm our faith in the principles guiding the five- point agenda which are transparency and accountability, open government, localization, responsive leadership and attunement to citizens’ aspirations.

On the strength of the above, our government devised wholesale approach to governance such as:

Dismantling bobby traps planted by our predecessor,
Blocking leakages in public finance, Tackling  corruption and revenue diversion in the solid mineral sector,
 Restoring local government administration for grassroots development
Embarking on mass water project provision
 Executing 91 kilometers of road construction
 Implementation of free medical surgeries with over 50,000 beneficiaries;
 Total renovation of 31 schools
 Launching of sport sector reforms
 Reviving the major commercial and industrial projects in the state
 Pushing for implementation of agric processing zone in Osun state;
 re-professionalization of the public service;
 Strong attention to welfare of workers;
 Tapping into tourism, entertainment and cultural potentials of the state;
 Ramping up efforts for a cargo and commercial airport for Osun state, among others’ he said.

  While noting that he is committed to  ensuring that  the economy of Osun  state  gradually moves away from its civil service status to a modern agro – industrial based, creative industry -focused economy,  Adeleke also submitted that going forward, his administration  will ensure regular, full payment of workers’ salaries as at when due; phased payment of half salary debt as a form of palliative; phased payment of pension debt; free enrolment of all pensioners in the health insurance scheme; quarterly Imole free medical surgeries; wage award to pensioners and public workers, introduction of Imole bus service; getting local economy  enhanced through strong local content in project implementation; and promotion of a system of direct labour for localization.

‘I am happy to also report that as the state ramps up efforts to cushion the effect of hard times, we are also implementing an ambitious state agenda which targets infrastructure upgrade, diversifying the state economic base and deepening the revenue structure of the state.

For the infra upgrade, we are convinced that the  economy  of the state cannot attract required investment to realize its industrial potential unless the problem of infrastructure deficit is addressed. Hence, we have started the implementation of the multi-billion naira infra plan that I launched a few months ago.

For economic diversification, we are growing the creative industry; we are opening up the industrial sector; we are attracting investors in key sectors; and we are re-skilling our youth through the soon to be unveiled Imole Youth Corps.

To deepen the revenue base, we are tapping into the solid mineral sector; we are reforming the tax sector to eliminate multiple taxation while widening the tax base.

Our dream is for an Osun economy that gradually moves away from its civil service status to a modern agro – industrial based, creative industry- focused economy. Such diversification with a functioning cargo/commercial airport will grow Osun as an export oriented economy as well as a global tourist destination being the host of important Yoruba cultural assets.

My good people of Osun state, I just signed Budget 2024 into law. It encompasses our plans and agenda for the New Year. It is a year of reconstruction and eventual recovery. The infra projects slated for implementation this new year under the multi-billion naira programme include the following:

 Phase 2 of the reconstruction and furnishing of schools, making a total of 35 schools;

 Phase 2 of the water projects: 332 water projects, one in each ward in the state;

 Renovation, and in some cases, reconstruction and furnishing of primary care health centers. 345 in number with at least one in every ward in the state;

 Phase 2 of rehabilitation and Construction of roads across the state of about 1.5 Kilometers in each LGAs, totaling 31 kilometers of roads;

 Dualization of Old Garage – Okefia – Lameco road, Osogbo;

 Dualization of Ilesa/Akure -Brewery – Palace road, Ilesha;

 Dualization of Akoda-Baptist High School – Oke Gada road, Ede;

 Construction of flyover at Okefia Roundabout, Osogbo;

 Construction of flyover at Lameco Roundabout, Osogbo;

 Construction of Flyover at Alamisi Junction roundabout, Ikirun;

 Construction of flyover at Mayfair Roundabout, Ile Ife;

 Construction of flyover at Owode market, Ede;

 Completion of rehabilitation of Inter-city roads such as Osogbo-Iwo Road plus dualization from Odo Ori to Odo Oba River;

Rehabilitation of Otan Ayegbaju – Iresi road;

 Rehabilitation of Ede-Egbedi-Erin Osun road among others’ he added.

 Submitting  that  his administration has big ambitions to develop ‘our dear state’ , Adeleke however noted that ‘we are implementing all the above projects without borrowing a kobo’.

‘We are relying on savings from different earnings, blockage of revenue leakage and reduction in the cost of governance and projects through localization and direct labor’ he added.

‘Our administration achieved a lot by ensuring belt tightening, reducing cost of governance and denying ourselves many perquisites of office. As a governor, my official expenditures are covered through the approval process rather than security votes, thereby assuring transparency and accountability.

As of today, our administration is struggling to purchase official vehicles for the state cabinet because the officials of the previous government bolted away with state vehicles. So , our cabinet and other top officials have been using their private cars since we appointed them to office. Also, we are still working to renovate the official quarters vandalized by the officials of previous governments. Many of our top officials still operate from their private houses’ he also submitted.

Governor Adeleke also  said steps are being taken to ease things for the citizens sequel to the removal of petrol subsidy and its concomitant economic hardships.

‘In this national economic crisis, the Federal Government through the National Economic Council attempted to create a collective focus for a solution. All states committed themselves to this national joint effort. This resulted in specific interventions designed to cushion the negative fallouts of the national dislocation in the national economy.

We, as a state government, commend President Bola Tinubu for his relentless action towards economic restoration. But as we all know and as we are still experiencing, the economic crisis continues unabated despite the best of efforts. Osun, through the National Economic Council, is collaborating with the central government to support federal initiatives targeted at reducing inflation, cost of living and stabilizing the national economy’ he said-Team@orientactualmags.com
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