Director General of the newly established Asaba Capital Territory Development Agency, Chief Clement Ofuani has said that the agency will tackle the spate of human indiscipline in Asaba and, then, address the challenges of critical infrastructural gaps so as to give the city a befitting look that is reminiscent of a capital territory in Nigeria.
In an interview with universalreporters247.com in Asaba, Chief Ofuani said the agency has begun a new value orientation of the team members who would bring the developmental quest into fruition, saying that although the agency would source its staff from the public service, it was bent on discharging its duties in a way that will be positively different from the run-off-the mill services that characterize most government Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) in the state.
He said: “there is a lot of impunity and indiscipline in the state. Here, somebody can just wake up, get to any junction, set fire by the road side and start selling corn, frying akara without regard for the flow of traffic and the engineering design of the road. All these things are not done in a well organized society; yet, we fold our arms and laugh over them.
“I can recall that, during the run up to the just concluded elections, a friend told me that a question was asked on ‘who wants change’ and, everybody raised their hands but, when they were asked ‘who wants to change’, nobody signified interest.
“What I see is a capital city with a lot of indiscipline that needs to be checked in the first instance; then, we will begin to address the critical infrastructure gaps in terms of design and layouts in the way an organized city should be.
“The Governor’s mandate is very clear: We have to make this city disciplined, functional, and appealing and a place where people will love to work, live and play in”.
Ofuani, who expressed confidence in the Senator Ifeanyi Okowa’s SMART Agenda, appealed to all Deltans, especially residents in the state capital, to give their support and cooperation with the agency in order to achieve its lofty targets.
“One thing we must understand is that everything is not about government funding; development is not just about an appropriation of public fund. Today, the major development strides being recorded in the federal capital city of Nigeria, Abuja, are not being sponsored from the federation account; rather, the private sector has taken it upon itself and everything is working well”, Ofuani chipped in.
He opined that “What we need to do is to restructure and recreate a reason people should make investments here in Asaba”, adding that there is “an incredible opportunity to repackage the state capital and attract quality investments that will bridge the infrastructure gap”. This task, the DG observed, will not be solely dependent on government funding, but will also incorporate the private sector.
He described the creation of the agency as a timely strategic step towards repositioning the state capital into an enviable height, adding that “there is something about a capital city which gives it the soul of the people and represents the very best in them”.
