Delta State Governor, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has said that Deltans are celebrating unity and peaceful co-existence as a people.

Speaking on Monday at an interdenominational thanksgiving service held in Asaba to mark the 27th anniversary of the creation of the state, Governor Okowa went through memory lane and thanked traditional rulers, religious leaders and all Deltans for agreeing to live together as one and in peace.

“There is a lot of reason to thank God; if you can recall when the state was created, you knew how the state was, but the peace that we witness today is more than enough reason to thank God,” he said.

The Governor continued: “The peace that we witness in the state today does not just indicate peace alone, but proof that we are united, our traditional rulers are united and they are speaking with one voice; it was not so in 1991, but we thank God for where we are today, you can feel the impact of that unity and peace in the state.

“We have come to realise that we are one people and that we have to work, grow and think together and that whatever development will come to this state has to be one in which it involves everyone and I give God all the Glory.”

Dr. at the occasion, attended by his wife, Dame Edith, his Deputy, Barr. Burutu Otuaro, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, Chief Judge of the state, Justice Marshal Umukoro, former Deputy Governor Benjamin Elue, national and state lawmakers, traditional rulers, religious leaders, among other prominent Deltans, congratulated all Deltans and urged them to continue to support his administration, assuring, “we will continue to do the best that we can to make our state better.”

He also, stated that the Warri Port would be made fully functional in the next few months and called for support for the companies that will engage in the dredging of the river, disclosing, “a lot of politics have been played in the past concerning the Warri Port, we thank God that the contract for the first phase for the dredging has been awarded, my prayer is that our youths, and our people should not seek for that which is self-serving and disrupt the work; we as a government, the traditional rulers and the security agencies will not allow that.”

Governor Okowa expressed confidence that with the signing of the Delta State Public and Private Properties Bill 2018 into law, property developers and investors will see the state as a safe haven for their investments.

“Let our youths know that there is a law that will take them to prison for disturbing property developers, we pray for those who will be the first set of people to flout the law,” he said.

Senior Apostle Sylvanus Okorote in a sermon at the event, called for tolerance among the people, adding: “To boost our unity, common interests should at all times, supersede personal interest, we should live in peace because, peace makes leaders to concentrate on development.”

He commended the developmental efforts of Governor Okowa, observing that the delivery of the SMART agenda has made it such that the projects and programmes of the governor were campaigning for him ahead of the 2019 general elections.

•Photo by Jibunor Samuel shows, from left; Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa; his wife, Dame Edith and Deputy Governor of Delta State, Barr. Kingsley Otuaro, during the Interdenominational thanksgiving Service, to mark the 27th Anniversary of Delta State, in Government House Chapel Asaba.

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