Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa on Tuesday said the Asaba Leisure Park and Film Village being executed by his administration would be ready for inauguration in February 2022.

Speaking at his quarterly interaction with newsmen at Unity Hall, Government House, Asaba, the governor said that the delivery timeline for the project was shifted from December 2021 to February 2022 because of fluctuations in the exchange rate.

According to him, many of the equipment required for the Leisure Park and Film Village are coming from overseas, and fluctuations in the foreign exchange rate have obviously delayed the delivery of the job.

He disclosed that his administration was still pushing hard on the contractor to ensure speedy completion of the job, and affirmed that there was a firm understanding that the contractor should be able to deliver the project by February 2022.

The governor expressed appreciation to the media for being good partners to his administration and said “we have continued to stay on course in our promises to Deltans.

“We wish that we would have moved a little faster than we are doing at the moment but unfortunately, our resources are dwindling more and more every day.

“However, we have continued to ensure that the projects we already have ongoing, would be delivered.

“One of the major projects is the Asaba Leisure Park and Film Village. Unfortunately, there is a shift on the date of delivery.

“It was supposed to be completed in December but it has been shifted to February 2022. This is because of the fluctuations in the exchange rate of the Foreign Exchange rate.

“Many of the equipment required is coming from overseas. So, the fluctuations in the exchange rate have obviously delayed the delivery of the job,” the governor said.

Apart from the “Prof. Chike Edozien State Secretariat Complex’’ inaugurated on Monday by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Okowa said that there were many other key projects being executed by his administration.

He said that work on sectors C1 and C2 of Asaba/Ughelli road dualisation was still on course, and pointed out that the contracting firm, CCECC Nigeria Ltd., had informed him that the Asaba to Ogwashi-Uku stretch of the road would be delivered in April 2022.

“From the latest report that l had from the contracting firm, CCECC Nigeria Ltd., the one running from Asaba to Ogwashi-Uku will be delivered by the end of April 2022 in full (both lanes) while the other sector running from Ogwashi-Uku to Ossissa will be delivered at the later part of 2022 or early part of 2023.

“Work is still ongoing in sector A from Ughelli to Ozoro and l believe too that the contractor will finish that job in the early part of 2023,” Okowa added.

He also said that work on the interchange at Koka junction on the Asaba-Onitsha highway had started and that the project was conceived to ease traffic in the area.

“Work on the interchange began about a few weeks ago and we hope that at the completion of that inter-change that there will be a seamless flow of traffic especially as we are expecting the dualised road from Ogwashi to Asaba to also be completed in April 2022.

“So, we are hoping that by the end of April, a lot of work would have been done at the interchange. The inter-change will be delivered in 2022,” the governor said.

He disclosed that work on the Kwale-Beneku Bridge, Ayakoromo Bridge and the bridge across the Orherhe River was all ongoing at the moment.

On the three new universities in the state, Okowa said after the resource inspection of facilities at the universities by a team from the National Universities Commission (NUC), approval was given for the commencement of academic activities in the schools by the Commission.

“The information we have is that all the courses that are due to start at the University of Delta, Agbor and the University of Science and Technology, Uzoro have been accredited.

“But unfortunately, Denis Osadebe University, Asaba, has its Faculty of Arts not yet accredited because of a little setback. We are working on that now to ensure that it is accredited within the shortest time possible.

“We have stayed on course in other works. The Job and Wealth Creation Office has also empowered some of its graduands. The Girl-Child Entrepreneurship Skill Training has also enlisted about 900 young girls for training between the ages of 18 and 30.

“Other job creation programmes are taking place through the Ministry of Women Affairs. A little above 1,800 persons have had their businesses supported at the course of this period,” he stated.

While saying that the technical education drive of the state government experienced some slow down, the governor, however, assured that the technical colleges in Asaba and Uvwie would take off in January 2022.

In the area of security, he said his administration was doing its best, adding that at the moment, efforts were being made to ensure that Operation Delta Hawk got its complementary support from the various security outfits.

“It is our hope that by early next year, we would be able to extend Operation Delta Hawk to all the local government areas of the state,” Okowa added.

TodayNG