•By Halimah Olamide
Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta on Monday, inaugurated a state of the art Press Centre, Government House in Asaba.
Okowa said that the press centre was one of the projects initiated by former Gov. Emmanuel Uduaghan but was abandoned by the contractor.him, the project had to be reviewed and completed among other projects in the new Government House, Asaba.
While commending Uduaghan, he said that completing the project had provided a more befitting centre for the journalists as well as making the government house environment more beautiful.
He lauded the journalists and the civil servants for their commitment that had made his administration achieve great success in the past eight years.
“First, I want to thank God for this day and also to thank journalists, who have been working with us in the last eight years.
“I also want to use this opportunity to appreciate the administration of Uduaghan, who kick started this press centre in government house.
“The Commissioner for Housing, Festus Ochonogor, has told us how the project was abandoned by the former contractor, but today, this press centre is ready for inauguration.
“I want to congratulate the ministry of housing for putting a finishing touch to the centre.
“Now beyond the fact that a more befitting press centre has been provided for the journalists in the state, we are also proud that the ambiance around government house is much better.
“This is because when the projects was incomplete, it used to be an eyesore but looking through government house today, we are aware that all the buildings are in proper shape,” Okowa said.
Earlier, the State Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, said that it was one of the many developmental strides of Gov. Okowa’s administration.
He recalled that he had few months ago completed, furnished and inaugurated the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) secretariat in Asaba.
He also commended the media and journalists for the partnership over the years.
On his part, Ochonogot, said that the project started in 2010 but was completed in July 2022 with the state of the art facilities and 374 seating capacity hall.