Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has called on the people of the state to remain united to the cause of developing the state irrespective of ethnic or party differences.

Okowa, in a statement on Monday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, felicitated with all Deltans as they stepped into 2019 and expressed gratitude to God for the grace granted Delta and its citizens in 2018.

Praying for the unity and peace in the state, which, he noted “is the bedrock of meaningful development in any given society,” he expressed the hope that 2019 will be a year of fulfilling a greater and stronger Delta.

He said: “Given our success story in the past three and half years in office, I have no doubt that with the same level of cooperation from the good people of Delta State, our government will achieve more in all facets of governance.”

“Our optimism is driven by the support we enjoy from our Youths, leaders, the legislature, the judiciary, the civil service, my team of political appointees, agencies of government, both at the federal and the state levels, as well multilateral donor agencies.”

Governor Okowa noted that, “as one of the first states to sign the 2019 budget, our government was prepared for the task of governance and provision of key infrastructure which made us to hit the ground running from day one.”

“I must emphasise that the consistent early passage of our state budget has given me and indeed the state the advantage of early starters, both in the appreciation of what Deltans expect from their government and in the development of solutions to meet such expectations.”

The Governor stressed that, despite shortfall in revenue projections, his administration will continued to ensure that the developmental needs of the state are attended to by applying the level of prudence and ingenuity that the present challenges demand. He appealed to all Deltans to look up to the New Year with the same zeal of a people with a capacity to excel even in difficult situations and noted that “Delta people have always been identified for their creativity.”

The Governor on behalf of his family and the state government wished Deltans a peaceful, more prosperous and a Stronger Delta in the New Year.