Okowa sets up transition committee

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta has approved the constitution of the inauguration committee to coordinate a smooth transition to the next administration in the state.

Charles Aniagwu, the commissioner for information, disclosed this to newsmen in Asaba on Friday. He said the committee headed by Patrick Ikah, the secretary to the state government (SSG), has Eddy Ogidi-Gbegbaje, the permanent secretary, Government House.

He, however, stated that membership of the committee and other sub-committees was not an automatic qualification for appointment into the next administration. He advised against “entitlement mentality” being associated with membership of the committee.

“You are aware that the Okowa administration is winding down and in about a month or couple of weeks, we will be heralding a new administration.

“As it is customary, we have set up a committee to carry out a number of activities to ensure a smooth transition.

What is trending in social media is as if those who have been appointed into the main committee and sub-committees have been given appointments in the new administration.

“We want to make it very clear that those appointed into the committees have only been asked to come and work for the purpose of seeing a smooth transition from the Okowa administration to the next administration.

“It does not mean that they are the ones that worked more than any other person. It does not also suggest that they are much more important than any other person.

“You know that if everybody who contributed to the success of the election were to be considered, it means we will have a committee that will be more than a million,” he said.

Aniagwu appealed to party faithful who felt agitated for not being appointed into the committees to know that their assignment is just to midwife the process of a smooth transition.

“It doesn’t suggest that these persons who have been appointed have been automatically engaged by the new administration nor does it undermine the effort of every other person who did not see their names in the different committees.

“There are individuals who contributed immensely to the success of the election and I can assure you that both the outgoing and incoming administrations take serious cognisance of those efforts and in due course, the good Lord will instigate a process where they will be rewarded.

“Appointment into the committee is just to midwife these processes that will culminate in the eventual handover to the next administration,” Aniagwu said.