(http://fmi.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/DSC_0111-300x199.jpg) As the National Good Governance Tour of Nigeria's South South geopolitical region continues Thursday in Asaba, the Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has reaffirmed his support for the programme charging members of the team, led by the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku to remain focused despite negative comments.
Uduaghan spoke in Asaba when the NGGT team paid a courtesy call on him at the Government House.
Governor Uduaghan who stressed the imperative of the Tour to bring to the front burner progress being made by Government at all levels, confirmed that all the 36 state governors had endorsed the programme on the Platform of the Governors' Forum.
"I confirm and reaffirm that we all collectively agreed to this programme," he said.
"As a State Government we are very very supportive of this programme. We thank you for your efforts so far. Please I also want to say that you shouldn't be discouraged. The hallmark of leadership is that you see the good, bad and the ugly and let the ugly not derail you from your focus.
"I also want to thank Mr. President who has agreed to release you for this project. Although it is not a federal government project, if the President has said that he would not be a part of it, then there is no way you would have been part of it.
"And it also shows how open he wants to be as a President. It also shows he has nothing to hide. He also wants to be assessed by the Tour Team", Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan noted.
He further appreciated the NGGT team for the work being done pointing out that from his personal experience, the whole exercise could be strenuous.
While urging the media to be objective and focus reports more on progress, the Governor said "A lot of issues make front burner in the Media but issues that have to do with development even when they are positive, are tucked away which I think is not encouraging and will not help us move forward".
He also appealed to the media to be more specific when reporting on the Niger Delta observing that people, especially those outside
Nigeria are of the notion that Delta State stands for the Niger Delta which is made up of 8 other States.
He equally informed the Team that his administration has adopted a strategy tagged 'Delta Beyond Oil' which he said is being driven through the State Government's 3 Point Agenda.
The Governor further informed that progress was also being recorded by the state in the areas of peace and security, infrastructural development and human capital development.
Earlier, the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku said contrary to comments the National Good Governance Tour is not a Federal Government programme but has the inclusion of the 36 state governments.
"This Programme was tabled before the Federal Executive Council and it was debated there and the President directed that the programme should be presented to the National Economic Council", Mr. Maku stated.
We stressed the need to leave partisanship.
The Governors' Forum set up a special committee of Governors chaired by the Governor of Akwa Ibom State to further debate the programme and they all agreed on a common template for the tour".
Speaking further on the Tour's participation, the Information Minister said, "If you look at all the people that are seated here, they come from all of society. So all we are doing is just to lead the path to show them what it is that government is doing.
"We have gone through states that are not PDP. We have been to a CPC controlled state and they were elated when they heard the comments by the team on the projects, and the publicity it brought to them. We have sworn an oath not to be partisan. We have been to APGA states and letters of commendation have even been written to us".
Maku said "Progress and challenges are not at the same level because resources are not at the same level either; some states are as old as Nigeria itself. We cannot say progress has not been made but we know that we can do better to achieve greater results.
"When we started, people were nervous may be because the Minister of Information is on the delegation and we are going to say something partisan. We will make sure that we do everything transparently and accountably to the people of Nigeria.
"We believe that this programme should start a national conversation on development, on progress, on welfare of the people. Our parties may be different, our thinking different, we may be competing with each other for power, but we are doing this to deliver services to the people.
"Once you are elected as a Governor, you are no longer a PDP Governor, you are Governor of everybody in your state no matter the parties we belong to and you are working for the whole of society.
"Our democracy is still very young, we are just 13 years old and people don't see the difference that is being made because democracy by nature involves arguments, involves disputes between those in power and society and sometimes in the midst of this disputes.
"The people are confused because their attention is not focused on the progress being made in the midst of these disagreements and it was important therefore that we all come together to reassure our citizens"
"Leadership is the most difficult job in the world, especially political leadership.
Governance must be removed from pure partisanship
He said "Part of this movement is to show people what is happening in the country. There is tremendous work being done in the states but this is not being reported in the media.
For instance in Delta State, the Minister observed that there have been notable changes since his first visit then as a Political Editor with the Champion Newspaper, Lagos in 1991 when he followed the then Head of State and Military President General Ibrahim Babangida.
Maku said "Nobody will come to Asaba today and say it is the same thing. Even if you are blind, you can not say there are no changes.
"The last time I left the Tour in Enugu there was no flight so to return here the following day I had to fly to Asaba Airport and that was the first time I was flying through Asaba. So when I arrived here and saw the Airport, I knew that it is quite different from the old generation airports we were constructing. So you cannot say that progress has not being made.
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Via: Federal Ministry of Information (FMI) Nigeria