The media team of former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has intensified its criticism of the Delta State Government, arguing that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent warning to governors against investing in non-essential flyovers has validated the opposition’s long-standing concerns over Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s development agenda.

 

In a statement issued on Friday, the Media Adviser to Senator Omo-Agege, Sunny Areh, said the President’s remarks at the Presidential Villa, where he urged governors to channel increased federal allocations into projects that directly improve citizens’ welfare and strengthen security, echoed the concerns the former Deputy Senate President had repeatedly raised about governance in Delta State.

 

According to Areh, Omo-Agege has consistently questioned what he described as the absence of a clear developmental roadmap under the Oborevwori administration despite the state allegedly receiving about ₦3.5 trillion from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) since June 2023.

 

He maintained that while many Deltans continue to grapple with economic hardship, unemployment, insecurity and rising living costs, the state government has concentrated significant public resources on flyover projects rather than sectors with direct social impact.

 

Areh recalled that Omo-Agege had repeatedly criticised the administration for prioritising flyover construction at a time when healthcare facilities, schools, agriculture and security require urgent intervention, adding that those concerns were initially dismissed by the state government and its media team.

 

He argued that President Tinubu’s recent advice to governors has now elevated the issue into a national governance debate.

 

“The President told governors to stop prioritising flyovers and instead invest in roads and infrastructure that improve citizens’ quality of life and enhance security operations. That is exactly the concern Senator Omo-Agege has consistently raised regarding Delta State,” Areh stated.

 

The opposition spokesman alleged that about ₦177 billion had been committed to flyover projects in Warri, Effurun, Ughelli and Agbor while primary healthcare centres allegedly lack essential drugs, schools remain understaffed and insecurity continues to threaten many communities across the state.

 

He questioned whether the ongoing infrastructure projects satisfy what he described as the “traffic and public impact test” highlighted by President Tinubu, insisting that visible infrastructure alone cannot substitute for improvements in healthcare, education, security and job creation.

 

Areh also renewed calls for greater transparency in the management of state finances, urging the Oborevwori administration to publish detailed records of expenditures under its MORE Agenda and provide a comprehensive account of how the state’s FAAC receipts have been utilised.

 

He further called on the state government to subject all major infrastructure projects, particularly flyovers, to transparent public-benefit and traffic-impact assessments while redirecting more resources to healthcare, education, agriculture, security and economic empowerment programmes.

 

According to him, governance should ultimately be measured by improvements in the lives of ordinary citizens rather than by the number of infrastructure projects commissioned.

 

The statement also projected the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as an alternative political platform, expressing confidence that its governorship candidate, Dr. Chris Iyovwaye, alongside Senator Omo-Agege, would pursue what it described as people-centred governance focused on accountability and impactful public spending.

 

But, a member representing Ughelli North, Ughelli South and Udu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Francis Ejiroghene Waive, debunked Omo Agege claims, saying President Bola Tinubu’s recent remarks cautioning state governments against constructing unnecessary flyovers were not directed at Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori.

 

Waive, in a statement, argued that the flyovers completed and those under construction in Delta State were necessitated by persistent traffic congestion in their respective locations, adding that the projects were undertaken after due consideration of the state’s infrastructure needs.

 

According to him, the Federal Government had acknowledged Delta State’s strides in flyover construction, alongside other developmental achievements, before similar projects gained momentum in other states.