As Nigeria marks 60 years of independence, the Deputy Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Ochor Christopher Ochor, has enjoined the people to keep hope alive as the trying times will be over.
Speaking in an interview in his office at Asaba, Ochor expressed optimism of better days ahead, stating that the dreams of the founding fathers of the nation cannot be in vain.
The lawmaker who represents Ukwuani Constituency in the House noted that peace and security, unity of purpose, love for one another, political stability and good governance were required to move the nation forward.
He stressed the need for the federal government to address the problem of insecurity, electricity and decay of basic infrastructures in the country.
Ochor spoke on the need for President Mohammed Buhari to revisit his inaugural speech to the nation on 29th May 2015, saying most of the challenges faced the country were highlighted in the address.
The Deputy Speaker expressed concern that nothing much has been done to address those identified issues and appealed to the President to make good his promise to turn things around for better.
He stated that insecurity in the country had remained a burning issue, noting that Boko Haram still occupies some parts of the country, while the menace of herdsmen had been on the increase despite public outcry, saying “part of my Ukwuani Constituency is under siege by herdsmen”.
Ochor explained that the bad states of Nigeria roads have made travelling by road in the country a nightmare, stressing that most federal roads across the country have been in a deplorable condition without attention.
He commended Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for his intervention on roads infrastructure, noting “but for the internal roads in Obiaruku, constructed by the Delta state government, travelling to my constituency from other parts of the state would not have been possible”.
Ochor also pointed out the need for the federal government to address the problem of electricity in the country, saying that power was key to the socio-economic transformation of any nation.
The Deputy Speaker paid glowing tributes to the founding fathers of Nigeria, stating “first I must give glory to God for life and to the founding fathers and leaders of Nigeria for all we have achieved so far. Nigeria is a great nation and we must join forces to make it better”.
Continuing “There are a lot more to be done. The population is on the increase. We need to develop infrastructure to enhance the quality of lives of the people. We have tried but I believe we should have done better. There are much more expectations especially during this democratic dispensation in the life of the country. One would have expected much better conditions to prevail with the change of government in 2015. Those promises made by Mr President is expected to have been fulfilled by now”, Ochor stated.
The Deputy Speaker who is the Chairman, House Committee on Legislative Compliance congratulated Deltans, particularly his constituents for the 60th Independence anniversary.
