A couple of days ago, while reacting to the unfortunate accident that ocurred on lbuzo/Asaba road around ADP office, in which members of lbuzo community suffered the most, l remarked that the State Governor and his government had made no statement whatsoever on the incident in which it was reported that no fewer than 16 persons suffered the loss of their lives.
I also observed that the SSA or SA to the Governor on social media, including the one of information failed to acknowledge the accident nor issued any statement to that effect and that there was no official government statement from the Delta State Government on the accident.
I just read online that the State Executive Council rose from a meeting in which it considered the award of contracts for road projects without mentioning the unfortunate incident in their deliberations, nor did members observe, as is the practice in similar situations, a minute silence in respect of those precious lives that were lost as a result of the accident which was caused in part and arguably, by the negligence and incompetence of the Delta State government that awarded the contract and the contractor who abandoned, without any sanction, the road contract mid way.
In a civilised climes where such a large number of citizens have lost their lives in such tragic circunstances, it is not unusual for the head of Government of the State to pay a condolence visit to the community where the tragedy occured and also issue a statement as a way of acknowledging the incidence and extending government condolences to the affected community, or at least where possible, send a government delegation to the affected community. Why Delta State Government chose to look the other way is inexplicable. 16 lives lost in one avoidable accident, by all means, is a national tragedy. That the State Executive Council could rise from it's deliberations without a word on the sad loss, still fresh in the minds of the grieving community, is astonishing and horrific to say the least.
In my humble opinion, the role of the State government, no doubt offends the sensibility of her citizens and it brings to the fore the depth of insensitivity of the government to the plight of members of this community.
As l had earlier opined, the trajectory of the Okowa's regime in what appears to be a selective political grandstanding in her relationship with this community has not gone unnoticed, despite all the funfare and much trumpeted and advertised political appointments of a couple of our indegenes, which we acknowledge and appreciate, but which appointments only put food on the table of the select political appointees, when compared to the urgent development needs of lbuzo as a part of the Delta State capital territory.
Perhaps to the Government apologists, l may sound as an alarmist, but clearly, viewing the scenario from my vintage position, all the decernible indices do not portend a robust relationship between the Okowa led government and the governed people of this community.
We, as a community, are watching the development as it unfolds, while l rest my case.
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