Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta has said that the partnership between states and Federal Government on peer review was needed to solve the myriads of challenges facing the country.

Okowa stated this on Monday when the Chairman and members of the Implementation Monitoring Committee of the National Economic Council (NEC) led by the Chairman and Commissioner for Finance, Akwa Ibom State, Mr Akan Okon, visited him at Government House, Asaba.

He said a lot was being done in the state on behalf of the Federal Government in ensuring that youths were kept busy with meaningful engagements in skills and entrepreneurship programmes.

He stated that the engagement had yielded lots of positive outcomes as oil facilities are now more secured in the state.

“I am glad you are here today because we have discussed this at the Governors’ Forum on the need for the Committee to go round the various states and am also sure you have been to some other states because am quite aware that the Committee has visited some states of the Federation.

“It is our hope that during your stay in Delta State that you will be able to monitor issues as it affects the resolutions taken and also to take special note of programmes that we are carrying out in this state which have to a very large extent impacted on the youths very positively and to ensure that through that process we have been able to continue to engage the youths and that has also enabled us to have a more peaceful environment in the state for development.

“There is no doubt we are in very difficult times and we need the cooperation of all, particularly our youths for us to be able to move forward in terms of achieving peace and security in the nation.

“Here in Delta, a lot is being done in terms of empowering the youths with skills and in entrepreneurship programmes for which we started from the very beginning of our administration in 2015.

“A lot is being done by the state on behalf of the Federal Government in trying to ensure that we also secure the facilities of the oil companies and therefore through that process of engagement with the youths we have been able to ensure that the levels of destructions that we witnessed in the past is no longer the order of the day,” he said.

He stressed that for Nigeria to come out of the challenges facing her as nation, it required the cooperation of all including the youths of the nation.

He expressed optimism that the report of the Committee's visit to the state would be useful to the state and the entire nation.

“We will continue to do our best and we are hopeful that by the time you go round the state, your findings and recommendations will be such that it will be mutually beneficial to each individual states and the Federal Government of Nigeria because the partnership at this moment is needed for us to be able to address the many challenges that we have in our country today.

“I wish you well in the course of your tour of the state and it is my hope that the recommendations that will come forth from this will be of great use to our nation,” Okowa stated.

Earlier, the Chairman who was represented by the Secretary of the Committee, Mr Daniel Ikara, said they were in the state for the evaluation of the state government's performance on the resolutions of the National Economic Council.

He said the evaluation was necessary for a peer review and possible areas of intervention by the Federal Government.

PHOTO: Delta Governor, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa (3rd right) Deputy Governor of Delta, Barr. Kingsley Otuaro (middle); Commissioner for Economic Planning, Dr. Barry Pere-Gbe (3rd left); Mr. Daniel Ikara (2nd right) and others, during a courtesy call by the Implementation Monitoring Committee of National Economic Council on the Governor, in Government House, Asaba, on Monday, 30/11/20. PHOTO: JIBUNOR SAMUEL

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