Okowa swears-in 8 commissioners

By Nosa Akenzua, Asaba

Delta state Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa on Wednesday at the Government House in Asaba swore-in the first batch of eight commissioners as members of the state executive council.

The governor at the swearing-in ceremony said fairness, equity and justice are trademark of his administration that all political appointees must imbibe, emphasizing that his administration has zero tolerance for sectionalism and nepotism.

The commissioners who took the oath of office were Mrs. Flora Alatan, Chief James Augoye, Basil Ganagana, Peter Mrakpor, Prof. Patrick Muoboghare, Chief Festus Ochonogor, Chika Ossai and Chief Patrick Ukah.

Okowa, who congratulated the commissioners observed that the expectations of Deltans are high and urged them and other political appointees to see themselves as people who are representing the entire Delta people in the cabinet.

“And that you are there to serve their interests because the task before us is huge; we have set the goal of building a stronger Delta predicated on prosperity, peace and progress.

“Yes, it is true that each of you was nominated from a local government area, but the moment you become a commissioner, the entire Delta becomes your constituency and as such, you must be fair to all and be responsive to the needs and aspirations of all and sundry,” he said.

He admonished the commissioners to embrace the concept of team leadership and collective responsibility, emphasizing that “you cannot operate in isolation or be a one man riot squad; employ and deploy the knowledge, skill and experience of the civil service personnel that work with you; you will need them to succeed.

“As commissioners, you must lead by example; do not expect your staff to be punctual if you are in the habit of coming late to the office; do not expect them to be prudent with government resources if you are wasteful and do not expect them to go the extra -mile to meet targets if you are not willing to do so yourself.

“People don’t do what you tell them; they do what they see you do because as the saying goes, everything rises and falls on leadership. The buck stops at your table,” Gov. Okowa stated.