The Delta State Government has unveiled a fresh package of measures aimed at strengthening the purchasing power of residents and cushioning the impact of prevailing economic challenges through infrastructure development, workers’ welfare, empowerment initiatives and strategic investments.
The State Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, disclosed this on Thursday in Asaba while briefing journalists on the economic direction of the Governor Sheriff Oborevwori administration.
Aniagwu said the Governor had directed relevant agencies of government to intensify programmes capable of stimulating economic activities at the grassroots and ensuring that the gains of ongoing economic reforms translated into tangible improvements in the lives of ordinary Deltans.
He explained that the state’s improved financial position had created greater capacity for government to undertake critical capital projects while deliberately deploying public resources in ways that would stimulate local economic activities and strengthen household incomes.
“The governor has directed that we intensify efforts at rolling out programmes that will indeed improve the purchasing power of our people,” Aniagwu said.
According to him, the planned massive renovation of schools across the state represents one of the administration’s strategies for achieving that objective, as the projects would create economic opportunities for contractors, artisans, suppliers, traders and other businesses within the benefiting communities.
He noted that locally available materials, including cement and roofing sheets, would be sourced as much as possible from within the state, allowing government expenditure to circulate in local economies and generate a multiplier effect through increased earnings, business transactions and household spending.
The commissioner also disclosed that the state government was taking steps to institutionalise the proposed payment of a 13th-month salary for civil servants through legislation.
He described the initiative as a deliberate economic intervention designed to increase the disposable income of workers and stimulate economic activities, rather than an indiscriminate distribution of government funds.
“Once this fund gets to the hands of the civil servants, that civil servant is also enabled to spend money in certain directions. That way, government would have been able to take the benefit of the reforms from the macro level to the micro level,” he said.
Aniagwu further revealed that Governor Oborevwori had directed agencies responsible for empowerment to commence the identification of beneficiaries for various intervention programmes.
He listed the Office of the Chief Job Creation Officer, Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Social Development, Ministry of Youth Development and Ministry of Science and Technology among the agencies involved.
The programmes, he explained, would provide beneficiaries with business support, vocational skills and other forms of empowerment to enable them to become economically productive and self-reliant.
On infrastructure, Aniagwu said the administration’s sustained investment in road construction was also part of its broader economic stimulation strategy.
He explained that roads linking communities and opening up economic corridors would ease transportation challenges, facilitate the movement of agricultural produce, goods and services, and create a more favourable environment for businesses to thrive.
The commissioner said the state was equally pursuing investment opportunities arising from the Delta State Economic and Investment Summit, including efforts to attract investors into the production of poultry feed and other agricultural inputs.
Such investments, he noted, would help reduce the volume of capital leaving the state to procure essential inputs from other parts of the country, while creating jobs and opening new business opportunities for farmers, entrepreneurs and investors.
Aniagwu stressed that the state’s improved revenue position and liquidity would not be deployed for reckless or indiscriminate spending, but would instead be channelled into projects and programmes capable of delivering sustainable economic growth and improving the welfare of residents.
He said the administration’s interventions cut across education, healthcare, roads, housing and economic empowerment, with the broader objective of building a more resilient population capable of coping with economic pressures.
He also cited the construction of additional residential quarters for medical personnel, particularly doctors, as part of the government’s efforts to improve healthcare delivery and address the challenge of brain drain.
According to him, providing decent accommodation for critical medical personnel would enhance staff retention and contribute to improved healthcare services across the state.
The commissioner acknowledged the economic pressures arising from the removal of fuel subsidy and other reforms at the federal level, but maintained that the Delta State Government was committed to mitigating their effects on residents.
He said while some of the reforms might have been necessary, their implementation had produced unintended consequences and “grey areas” that required appropriate interventions.
“We are convinced that efforts are also being made to address those grey areas, just as we are doing in Delta, so that the benefit of this removal can move beyond the macro level and come to the micro level,” he said.
Aniagwu, who was accompanied by the Executive Assistant to the Governor on New Media, Mr Felix Ofou, urged Deltans not to allow current economic difficulties to diminish their confidence in the future.
He assured that the administration remained committed to implementing programmes capable of expanding economic opportunities, improving household incomes and raising the standard of living across the state.
With the 2027 general elections approaching, the commissioner said the Oborevwori administration would remain focused on governance and the delivery of projects with measurable benefits to the people, rather than politically motivated cash distribution.
He called on Deltans to support the government’s economic initiatives, stressing that the ultimate objective was to ensure that the state’s economic growth translated into improved purchasing power, greater opportunities and a better quality of life for its people.
