Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has said his administration would revoke multiple government land allocations to single individuals in Asaba.

He dropped the hint yesterday during the child dedication and thanksgiving service of Chairman, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mr Amaju Pinnick, at the First Baptist Church, Warri.

“In Asaba, when we find that a single individual has been allocated, four, five, six to ten plots of land and we know that he needs just a plot or two and there are others who don’t have, that is the area we are saying no to,” the Governor said.

He asserted: “If you are allocated a plot of land, you deserve it because you are a human being, when somebody gets ten plots of land and even some fifteen and twenty, and others don’t have and it is all from government, it is not right, if we find such, we will revoke them, so that others can benefit. He reiterated: “We believe that is the right thing to do and that is the right way to go.”

He, however, assured that government will not revoke land that has been allocated to churches stating: “There is no way that the land that has been given to a church that my administration will revoke, I believe that the church and government are partners in the development of the state for the common good of the people.”

He used the occasion to call on those who applied for the different empowerment programmes to be patient, noting that while 60,000 applications were received, only 6,000 persons will benefit in the first instance while another set of 6,000 persons would be engaged every six months.

According to him, “As a people, we need to partner with government, government cannot do all, it requires partnership, we need to continue to pray for government, we have started our empowerment programmes, when we brought the forms out about three months ago, 60,000 Deltans applied, they will need to be patient.”

He stated that the jobs which include skill acquisition, farmers’ support, production and processing programmes would be given based on merit.

While congratulating Mr. Pinnick for the child dedication and thanksgiving, Governor Okowa said: "it is always good to thank The Lord, the book of Psalm is very clear that if you thank Him, He will bless you the more, in everything you do, thank God and when you are doing such, you will work in the way of The Lord for the common good of all."

Mr Pinnick while speaking stated that Governor Okowa was “ordained by God to lead, Governor Okowa is simple, humble, and leads with the fear of God, I hope to imbibe those attributes, we have the finest and most experienced Governor in this country.” He disclosed that the Governor was the Chairman at his wedding ceremony nine years ago and the marriage has been richly blessed.

The Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Warri South chapter, Rev. Justin Okoroji Jnr., had appealed to Governor Okowa not to revoke land given to the Church, adding: “It is our prayer that God who has put you up there as Governor will sustain you in the name of Jesus, as you humble yourself continuously, God will grant you the grace to lead your people, our people to prosperity in Jesus name.”

“You are simple and humble, know that at times, good programmes come from up but, they don’t get to the grassroots, we pray that your programmes will have impact on the people at the grassroots and know that the battle for your second tenure begins now, by the time you attend to the needs of Deltans, they will ask you to continue to represent them,” he stated.

•Photo shows Gov. Okowa and wife dancing yesterday at First Baptist Church, Warri, during the child dedication and thanksgiving service of Amaju Pinnick,

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