SAN FRANCISCO, January 12, (THEWILL) – Former Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Victor Ochei, FNSE, has lent his support to the change agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Speaker Emeritus, who made this known in a New Year advertorial obtained by THEWILL, also called for a nationwide support for the President in his fight against corruption.
“It is my heartfelt belief that the present dispensation represents change we can all genuinely believe in.
“It is, as such, with the deepest sense of rational optimism that I am confident that by getting it right and keying into the change era, we shall thereby meet the challenges presented by our present circumstances and finally take this country to its proper place within the committee of nations.
“I am definite that change has undoubtedly come to Nigeria. Nigerians need not be afraid; finally, we have a government determined to rid us of unbridled corruption as it gets us out of the woods and places our nation on the pedestal of respectability on the world stage,” he said in the advertorial published in The Nation and Vanguard Newspapers.
Ochei however called for patience form citizens towards the government acknowledging that the president was on course by diversifying the economy following dwindling oil prices.
“We must all be patient enough to let it manifest with time to the benefit of the generality of all Nigerians. I am equally sure that very soon, ever more beneficial dividends of the change era will mature for the betterment of this nation.
“Though receipts from petroleum have dwindled and may continue to, I am nevertheless confident that the Buhari administration will continue to implement creative policies and sustain the required measures to make up for the shortfall while developing other critical sectors that were unfortunately allowed to lie fallow or idle while we placed all our eggs, as an economy, in the mono-economic risky basket of oil and gas.
“I therefore believe the future is in diversification and thus align myself with the present administration’s budget and public policy outlook which seek to create the foundation for placing our country on the long-awaited path of sustained multifaceted economic growth.
“I accordingly see in our present predicament, a veritable opportunity to develop agriculture, solid minerals, manufacturing, information technology, tourism, power and a host of other lucrative sectors in which we have great potential and indeed comparative advantage but for which leadership failure robbed us of deserved development,” he said.
The former speaker also thanked his supporters and constituency members for the trust reposed in him.
“I earnestly thank the great people of Aniocha North who were kind-hearted and forthright enough to send me thrice as their representative to the Delta State House of Assembly.
“I similarly thank my honourable and dearest colleagues in the House who saw fit to elect me as Speaker of the Fifth Assembly. I thank them from the bottom of my heart for the opportunity they gave me to serve.
“I additionally thank all those who supported me during my gubernatorial bid which witnessed the organic formation of a statewide pan-Deltan coalition that expanded, deepened, electrified and energized the democratic space in our dear state.
“I equally thank all those who keyed into my senatorial bid in Delta North and acknowledge them for the zeal, enthusiasm and sense of purpose with which they took ownership of my aspiration.
“I commend all those who stood faithfully by me and continue to believe in my vision across Delta. I acknowledge them for their overwhelming outpouring of love and deeply appreciate their consistency, fidelity and faith in me.
“I hope Delta State will achieve its full potentials and that we shall continue to grow from strength to strength in brotherly love and unity across all three Senatorial Districts regardless of ethnicity or political inclinations.
“I am positive about our destiny as nation just as I am confident in our potential as a state. I therefore hope that just as is being done at the national level, Deltans continue to build, strengthen and deepen bridges and bonds of unity for the purpose of growing the state into the viable and self-sustaining socio-economic paradise of our dreams.
“Once more, I must confess that the outpouring of love from the generality of Deltans across tribes, social strata, age groups and gender has been most overwhelming. What I find to be even more heartwarming and quite humbling is the fact that the goodwill of my numerous supporters remains firm to this day, going forward.
“I simply cannot thank the kindhearted people of Delta enough. What I can say is that their faith in me is not at all misplaced and that it will never be taken for granted. On the contrary, I can assure them that as God’s divine plan for our state and nation continues to unfold, they can count on me as a willing, able and worthy partner in the progress of both state and country.
“In heroically meeting the challenges of the present era, I urge all our countrymen and women to remain prayerful, positive, hopeful, hardworking, diligent and confident that in spite of the challenges ahead, by God’s grace we shall overcome.
“I remain patriotically confident that under the change era, 2016 and beyond will witness the regeneration of our long abused nation and it is in this light that I wish us all a Happy and Prosperous Year.”
