Nigerians have been asked to brace up for a bleak future as the coming of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, president-elect, will not change the fortunes of the people and the lies, nepotism and deceit that characterized outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari will continue.

Funkekeme Solomon, Senior Political Adviser to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa stated this while speaking on Delta Broadcasting Service (DBS) Television.

He said the same set of people that chaperoned Buhari and drove his agenda that has left Nigerians divided than before are the same persons that now surround Tinubu. Solomon said the President-elect shares in the lies and deceit that characterized Buhari’s nearly eight years in power.

“The All Progressives Congress (APC) on which Tinubu rode to power is an amalgam of desperate power-seekers seeking to maintain a stranglehold on the levers of power without any thought to better a lot of the people”, he said.

But he had cheery news for the people of Delta State, saying in Sheriff Oborevwori, there is a governor-elect with a deep passion to better the lot of the people.

“In Sheriff Oborevwori, Delta has a man coming prepared to take the state on a great leap forward. He was a councilor in Okpe, a community leader in Osubi and Speaker of the State House of Assembly for the past six years. He knows the extent of the achievements of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and the areas to follow up on. He has never been alienated from the people, he grew up in their midst and he will hit the ground running,” Solomon stated.

He said the representation of women in elected positions decreased after the 2023 elections at all levels, stressing that Oborevwori will take affirmative action to ensure more women hold greater positions of authority.

On the defection of some Delta politicians from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in others days before the gubernatorial election, the Senior Political Adviser said it was indecorous and naive of the politicians. “Politics requires integrity and loyalty on the part of all stakeholders. They were not strategic in their thinking. But the people knew better,” Solomon said.

He advocated a fundamental review of the operations of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and its parent ministry, the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.

“Right now, those running the NDDC pander more to the interests of politicians in Abuja than attending to the demands of the Niger Delta people.

“By now, we ought to have a university built and funded by NDDC, the focus on just building roads, most of which are hardly completed, is wrong. The agency should be supporting businesses of the legion of entrepreneurial young men and women from the region. Special attention should be paid to equipping them for the numerous opportunities in the oil and gas industry.

Concentrating on roads is a pedestrian approach to addressing the developmental challenges in the region”, he said. (Daily Independent)

Update news