The State Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Bello Orubebe says with the newly commissioned Waste Management equipment, Deltans should expect a more sustainable and integrated waste management system in the State.

Dr. Orubebe stated this in an interview after Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan commissioned Waste Management equipment at the event centre, Asaba. He said effective Waste Management is a key factor in development, stressing that the Ministry of Environment and the Waste Management Board are determined to tackle the problems of Waste in the State.

The Environment Commissioner disclosed that a recycling plant will soon be put in place to complement waste management efforts in the State. He urged Deltans to maintain the right attitude to waste disposal and management in order to maintain a clean State which will also enhance a healthy life.

Dr. Orubebe said the Ministry would build the capacity of private participants in the Waste sector in order to ensure that they have the right skills in the disposal of the various types of Waste.

The Environment Commissioner disclosed that the Waste Management Board and the Ministry would partner with the private sector to ensure that the issue of waste will become a thing of the past in the State.
He commended Governor Uduaghan for the equipment saying it would boost waste management in the State, and that the Ministry will intensify efforts at environmental sanitation in the State.

Delta State Governor Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has commissioned Earth moving construction and Environmental Equipment running into several millions of naira to reinvigorate the states machinery on road maintenance and war against filth.

Dr. Uduaghan during the ceremony invited the private sector to partner with his administration in its determination to execute its programme on climate change and environmental pollution. The Governor who enjoined the private sector to key into the state governments’ environmental programme said the sector has good and lucrative business potentials.

He said there were employment opportunities in waste management and advised the private sector not to ignore it. Dr. Uduaghan also called on Local Government Councils in the state not to toy with waste management as his administration would deal decisively with local governments found wanting on waste disposal.

His words “I appeal to Local Government Councils to manage waste in their area properly. Indeed, local governments should manage dump sites properly so that we have clean environment”.

Dr. Uduaghan urged local governments to see waste management in their areas as a primary responsibility and not only increase their effort in waste disposal but reinvigorate their health inspectorate units to ensure effective inspection of premises. He enjoined Deltans to keep the inside and outside of their environments clean and should not dump refuse indiscriminately.

Commenting on the construction equipment purchased for the Direct Labour Agency in the state, the governor said the equipment would enable the agency carry out its duty of quick maintenance of failed portions on roads in the state.

Dr. Uduaghan therefore, urged the agency to establish a monitoring unit that would always visit roads in the state and report those with failed portions. He charged the Agency to always carry out its intervention duty promptly as it was cheaper to maintain roads than start fresh construction

Explaining further he said “the Direct Labour Agency is not to construct fresh roads. It is just to intervene and work on failed portions of roads in the state”. The Governor also enjoined the Agency to monitor roads in the state this raining season and ensure that all the pot holes were repaired.

Calling on Deltans to report to the Agency, failed portions of roads in the state Dr. Uduaghan said even though the roads were not attended to immediately, it would be on record and receive attention eventually.
The Director General of the State Direct Labour Agency Hon. Ovie Agas in his speech promised that his agency would deliver and meet the target set for the Agency.

He expressed appreciation to the state government for purchasing the equipment and appealed to Deltans to cooperate with the agency to enable it succeed. The Commissioner for Environment Dr. Bibobra Orubebe in his speech promised to use the equipment bought for the ministry to promote clean environment in the state.

Dr. Orubebe commended the state government for the gesture and enjoined Deltans to imbibe clean sanitary habits. He urged Deltans to also take cleaning of their environment as a daily routine and not wait to be reminded.

Delta State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan has appealed to the central bank and other banks in the country to assist the state in its micro credit scheme so that more Deltans would be empowered through the programme.

The Governor who made the appeal at the 15th distinguished lecture of Sylvester Monye foundation at Asaba, said the micro credit scheme of his administration has recorded tremendous success but needed more funds to enable the scheme meet the target set for it.

Dr Uduaghan said the support from the banks would make more people benefit from it and thus improve the living standard of the less privileged in the society.

Asserting that Delta State Government has contributed meaningfully to the current reform going on in the banking sector, he appealed to the central bank to actualize the partnership programme worked out between some banks in the country and Delta and Lagos State.

Dr Uduaghan said some of the banks in the country were expected in the arrangement to fund some people oriented projects being executed by Lagos and Delta States.

The Governor said once the arrangement starts working, Lagos and Delta would accelerate the execution of infrastructure in both states provide more dividend of democracy to the people.

His words “we have discussed with central bank on how some banks in the country will start funding projects in Lagos and Delta State. Once this starts functioning, my state and Lagos State will accelerate the growth of infrastructure. I assure you.”

The Governor used the occasion to disclose the immense success he has recorded in his three point agenda of human capital development, peace and security and infrastructural development, Stressing that the three point agenda of the State Government would build a state that would in the near future blossom without on Oil.

Dr Uduaghan explained that the economy of the state was being diversified to achieve the goal and accelerate economic growth in the state. Explaining further, he said “we are building a state that would be less dependent on Oil. We have a lot of potentials and we are tapping our resources”.


He said power was central to all the programmes of the state Government and promised to do everything within his power to improve the supply of electricity in the state. In his lecture, the Governor of Central Bank Mallam sanusi Lamido said the reforms in the banking sector were introduced to protect, deposit and build customers confidence.

Mallam Sanusi said the reforms were already achieving the objectives, just as he disclosed that the new system would guarantee lending to small and medium scale business organizations. The Governor of Anambra State Dr Peter Obi in his remarks blamed the central Bank for all the problems in the banking sector.

Dr Obi said the Central Bank could not absolve itself from blame even as he warned that the problem in the banking sector would not abate unless stakeholders reduce their greed. He also said the present reforms would only succeed when stakeholders reduce extravagance.

The Governor however called on banks in the country to design a loan scheme that would promote agriculture so that the Country’s GDP would rise. Speaking during the ceremony, the Managing Director BGL plc Mr Albert Okumagba called on the central bank to bring more African Countries to invest in the country.

Mr Okumagba said the capital market was central to development in the country adding that without capital market there would be no development in the Country. He therefore called on Nigerians to contribute meaningfully to the success of the capital market to enable it thrive and move the nation forward.

A former head of State during the interim national Government Chief Ernnest Shonekon in his remarks commended Delta State Governor for the massive infrastructural development in the state.

Chief Shonekon who was the chairman of the occasion said he was impressed by the giant stride of Dr. Uduaghan even as he explained that the projects executed have transformed the face of the state.
He also commended Mr. Sylvester Monye for establishing the foundation stressing that knowledge would add value to the nation’s economic development.

Delta State Governor Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has called on stakeholders in the health sector to rise and check the alarming rate of infant mortality and neonatal deaths in the country.

Dr. Uduaghan, who was speaking at the 3rd Annual General Meeting of Nigerian Society of Neonatal Medicine at Mosogar in Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State, said the rate of infant mortality was alarming and now poses a big challenge.

He urged health officials not to allow the ugly trend to continue especially as neonatal and mortality deaths of infants were preventable, explaining that it does not require sophisticated equipment or costly materials to check infant mortality. The Governor said the time has come for the country to see the daily infant mortality rate as a big threat to the nation. His words “the deaths are preventable as it does not require the use of very costly equipments and materials. It is a big challenge and we should not allow it to continue.”

Dr Uduaghan said the State Government has already taken up the challenge and has started implementing a health care scheme that would take care of the pre and post natal health of women from the day of conception to the day of delivery.

He explained that the health programme of the State Government was central to the human capital development agenda of his administration just as he said that it was only when people were healthy that they could go to school and do other things.

Emphasizing that the State was running a free health care scheme for children between ages of one to five years, the Governor said “free maternal health care ensures that women do not pay any fee for drugs and even caesarian operation. Besides we give hundred percent attention to health programmes in the State.”

Dr Uduaghan called for reliable statistical data on health sector, as such data would help Government to plan and cope with health problems in the country. He assured the Nigerian Society of Neonatal Medicine of his administration’s commitment towards the reduction of infant mortality.

The Governor also promised to adequately support the association to achieve its set objectives. The President of Nigerian Society of Neonatal Medicine Prof. Rapheal Oruaonabor announced that his association was waging war on infant mortality and neonatal deaths in the country.

Prof. Oruaneabor disclosed that his association would lay emphasis on the training of community health workers to enable them contribute effectively to the neonatal programme. He attributed the major cause of infant mortality to include ignorance, poverty, lack of infrastructure as well as lack of adequate attention to health issues by various tiers of government in the country.

The President, Pediatrics Association of Nigeria, Dr Dorothy Esangbado regretted that sixty percent of infant mortality in the country takes place in the rural communities. Dr Esangbado therefore called on all stakeholders in the health sector to dwell more on preventive medicine in the rural communities to reduce infant mortality and neonatal deaths.

She said her association was concerned about the embarrassing infant mortality rate, adding that unless extra effort were made to meet millennium development goals before the next five years the country could find itself loosing out in the battle against neonatal deaths. The State Commissioner for Health Dr. Joseph Otumara in his speech said the State Government has put a lot of programme in place to alleviate the suffering of the masses.

Dr. Otumara also said the State Government would key into the Neonatal Community Health Programme so that all health workers in the state would participate and benefit from the programme.