GOVT HOUSE, PROTOCOL REPRESENT IMAGE OF DELTA AND SHOULD BE WELL FUNDED – Ogidi-Gbegbaje Tells State Assembly

Delta State Directorate of Government House and Protocol has solicited continued support of stakeholders towards achieving the task before it.

Permanent Secretary, Government House, Sir Eddy Ogidi Gbegbaje, stated this during the 2024 budget defense session of the Directorate before the State House of Assembly Committee on Establishments.

Ogidi-Gbegbaje flanked by the Permanent Secretary Government House Protocol, Mr Anino Tetsiola and Permanent Secretary Government House, Special Duties, Mr Victor Udi, said the Directorate was saddled with enormous responsibilities, which had a lot to do with the image of the state and its people.

He explained that effective collaboration with critical stakeholders would always lead to better performance, saying that although the Directorate did pretty well in the outgoing year, there was still room for improvement in line with the MORE agenda of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori.

The Permanent Secretary solicited increased budgetary allocation as the functions of the Directorate were ostensibly demanding and required proper funding.

Sir Ogidi-Gbegbaje, who appreciated members of the Committee for their cooperation, appealed for more support from the Lawmakers.

Chairman, Delta State House of Assembly Committee on Establishments, Hon Edafe Emakpor, expressed optimism that the M.O.R.E agenda of the state government would enhance the socio-economic well-being of Deltans given the robust synergy between the Executive and Legislature.

Hon Emakpor charged the MDAs to continue to uphold the principles of accountability, transparency and prudence in the implementation of their 2024 budget.

He said, “This exercise (budget defence) is not just an annual ritual, but a constitutional requirement backed by law. If you must spend government money, such money must pass through the State Legislature for approval

Continuing “Our job here as Lawmakers is not to witch-hunt anybody but to ensure that everyone succeeds. And to do that, there must be a symbiotic relationship between the Executive) and the Legislature.

“We are all committed to ensuring that the M.O.R.E agenda of the State Governor, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori works and to achieve that vision, we must continue to uphold the principles of accountability, transparency and prudence “, Hon Emakpor said.

Chairman, Delta State Independent Electoral Commission, DSIEC, Mr Jerry Agbaike, and the Permanent Secretary, Office of the Head of Service, Mr. Patrick Ojeblenu, among others, also appeared before the committee to defend their 2024 budget proposals.