Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, has called for the use of appropriate legal channels for Nigerians to address their grievances, instead of resorting to hate speeches.
Governor Okowa made the call on Wednesday when Mathias Eto, Commissioner, Public Complaints Commission, led members of the commission to pay a courtesy call on the him in Asaba.
According to the governor, “there is no doubt that because of the recession, people are easily getting angry but, it is time for us as a people to realise that there are several constitutional avenues for us to lay our complaints.”
“People should try to have more reasonable means to engage the Nigerian state peacefully, rather than engage in hate speeches that generate tension,” he said, adding, “when these types of speeches are heard outside the shores of the country, it will discourage foreign direct investments and make local investors to be cautious and this will further endanger our fragile economy.”
The governor reiterated that to achieve law and order in the society, there must be equity and fairness.
He argued that any society that cannot ensure law and order would be in anarchy.
He commended the Public Complaints Commission for the roles it is playing to stabilise the polity.
He gave the assurance that “anything that will help us achieve peace in the state will be welcomed; as a government, we have a lot of avenues for peace building and to cement the existing peace and unity in our state.”
Earlier in his statement, observed that with Governor Okowa’s antecedents in governance, Delta State was in a safe and capable hand.
He stated that the Commission was committed to peace building and reduction of crime in the society.
He added if the vision, mission and spirit of the founding fathers of the Commission was upheld and the Commission was given the proper attention and cooperation it deserved, the massive agitation and criminality prevalent in the country today might have been at the barest minimum.