Delta State Governor, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has won the 2018 Silverbird Man of the Year Award, with a charge to security agencies and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to play by the rules and ensure free, fair and transparent 2019 elections.

He spoke on Monday in Asaba when the management of the Silverbird Communications Ltd led by Mr. Jacob Akinyemi Johnson, Chairman, Editorial Board, paid him a courtesy visit to present the letter of nomination. Governor Okowa said that the award would spur the people of the state to work in unity and achieve more developmental successes.

“Nigerians expect that we will have free and fair national elections in February and March, 2019, and the security agencies and INEC are expected to play by the rules so that we can have a country where democracy can grow and a country that can take its place among the comity of nations. The world looks up to us to get it right.

“I receive this award with gratitude as it will encourage us to do more for our people. In the last three years, we have had our challenges, but we have been able to manage ourselves, united as Deltans, we have connected with our people through roads, education and health. Our people are happy with us and we are happy with them,” Okowa said.

The governor commended the Silverbird Management for the painstaking award process stressing “the award will encourage our people to understand that the more we work together, the more successes we will achieve”.

Earlier, Mr. Akinyemi-Johnson had congratulated Governor Okowa for emerging the “2018 Silverbird Man of the Year”, stating that the governor was voted overwhelmingly by the public among the four nominees.

He informed Senator Okowa that the formal presentation would take place February 3, 2019 in Lagos.

•Photo by Jibunor Samuel shows Governor Ifeanyi Okowa (2nd right); General Manager Silverbird, Mr. Akinyemi Johnson (right); Head of Radio, Mustapha Isa (2nd left) and Commissioner for Information, Mr. Patrick Ukah, during a courtesy call on the Governor by the Management of Silverbird, in Government House Asaba.

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