Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, has begun the Independence Day celebration to mark the 64th Independence anniversary of the country with an interdenominational thanksgiving service held on Sunday, at the Cathedral Church of St. Peters, Asaba.
He urged Nigerians to be optimistic and not be overwhelmed by the present economic challenges bedeviling the nation.
According to the governor, Nigerians must remain positive, noting that tough times don’t last, but tough people do by effectively surmounting challenges facing them.
The Governor, who paid glowing tributes to the founding fathers of the country, urged Nigerians to remain hopeful and united, adding that a new phase of prosperity, peace, unity and progress would soon envelop the country.
Oborevwori said: “It goes without saying that there is hunger and despair in the land because of the high cost of living caused by inflation.
“There are not enough words to describe the pain and suffering many people are going through because of the ongoing fiscal and economic reforms.
“However, I want to say that these, too, shall come to pass. Every problem has an expiry date and this will not be an exception.
“So, I urge Deltans and residents in the state to refuse to give up. Tough times never last but tough people do.
“The situation we are in calls for creativity, innovation, determination, patience, and resilience on the part of everybody – the leaders and the governed. These are the qualities we need to stay afloat in a turbulent economy, and overcome the challenges facing us.
“We should never stop praying for Nigeria, no matter the situation, because God’s will is for us to pray and we must also match our prayers with the right confession. We can pray right but if we speak wrongly, we nullify our prayers.
“We should, therefore, stop speaking negatively about our country. We should use our mouths to pray for the peace, unity and development of our country. Decision determines destiny. Once we make up our minds to speak positively about our country, we will be surprised by the results.”
While reacting to the Bishop’s commendation on ensuring quality projects delivery in the state, Governor Oborevwori said; “we have carefully listened to our Bishop and he said something about the quality of jobs; they know that I am ready for those who are not ready to do the right job.
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“If you are given a job, you are well paid and paid as and when due and you do a substandard job, Sheriff will not take it. They know I will not take it.”
He stressed, “my Lord, it will interest you to know that last week, I called a meeting of the Head of Service, Permanent Secretaries, Directors and Heads of MDAs; where I told them that there is nothing they need that I have not done.
“A state that has a workforce of over 55,000 and they are paid as and when due, yet, contractors will be given jobs and Site Engineers will go and take sub-jobs to go and do a job they are supervising. You see the challenges we are facing?
“The problems we face are not just from the contractors but also from the Site Engineers who issue certificates for jobs that are not properly done.
“If you do your job well as a Civil Servant, and as a Site Engineer, you inspect your job very well, the contractors can’t get certificates for jobs not properly done.”
Oborevwori pleaded, “I urge the House of Assembly members to do their oversight work. Very soon, I am going to get a hotline where I will be getting direct information from the public.
“I have also told the Accountant-General and the Commissioner for Finance that I want to be paying the workers of this state on or before the 26th of every month.”
Earlier, the Bishop of Asaba, Anglican Communion, Rt. Rev’d Kingsley Obuh, had, in a sermon titled “In all things, give thanks”, said it was difficult to give thanks in the current situation of the country, but urged Nigerians not to be discouraged, and instead, give thanks to God because “it is the will of God for all men.”
