The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Delta

  • Delta ‘bad boys’ are back

    Delta ‘bad boys’ are back

    When she was leaving the house, her father, General Frances Oneya, gave her a cheque of about N200,000 to cash for him.”

    Gen. Oneya, a former military administrator of Kano State, was getting ready to attend the funeral of his late friend and comrade, Brig-Gen Patrick Aziza in Adagbarassa, an Urhobo town in Okpe Local Government Area, which is barely 20 minutes’ drive from the Effurun GRA.

    NDR investigations revealed that the robbers, who were probably lurking around the bank premises thought that the big (Ghana-must-go) bag she pulled into the car contained a huge amount of money, instead of the cloths she was carrying.

    An eyewitness said the criminals trailed her to a bad section of the road and opened fire on her. In her desperate bid to escape she ran into a ditch and hit a fence as the robbers rained bullet on her. She died on the spot

    Meanwhile, a source close to the family said Gen. Oneya was informed about the shooting at about 11am. He was with his wife and other dignitaries, which including Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan and retired military chiefs, at Adagbarassa, when the sad news came.

    “He was merely informed that robbers shot his daughter, but he didn’t know that she was dead,” a source added.

    The General reportedly remained calm and partook in all the activities at the ceremony until after he paid his last respect to his late colleague and friend, who was laid to rest at about 2:30pm.

    “Immediately after the interment, he apologised to the governor that he had to break protocol and leave before him (Governor) because his daughter was shot by robbers. The governor was amazed that he was able to stay back over three hours and went through the proceedings.

    “Governor Uduaghan asked Dr Chris Oghenechovwen, Commissioner for Water Resources, to accompany Gen Oneya to his house and to do everything possible to save the woman because they did not know that she was dead.”

    It was gathered that when Oneya left, his wife who stayed back at the ceremony started calling their daughter. “She wanted to tell Frances to cook for her father, because he had not eaten all day.  When Frances’ calls went on answered, she decided to rush home herself to make the food.”

    When Mrs Oneya got home, she met a crowd of people milling around the house built on a road named after her husband. She immediately knew all was not well.

    Among the visitors in the house was Reverend Father Toby, the Parish Priest of St Jude Catholic Church, which shares a common fence with the Oneyas’ compound. At that point, the woman became nervous because the priest had never visited before.

    “She was worried. Then when she got inside, she saw people around her husband. But because her mother was sick, she initially that it was her mother that had died. When her husband told her, ‘we lost one of our daughters’, it became clear to her and without asking she said: ‘It is Frances, isn’t it?”

    Expectedly the incident has thrown the family into mourning with her elder brother, Tony lamenting the loss of a dear sister.

    He said she was “the one that called me up when food was ready, the Landlord that gave me a room when I came back home to Nigeria. The sibling that ensured that colour matched the walls of my new home. The Liaison Officer, the Wedding Planner and the sibling who never knew how much I loved her.”

    Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan on Sunday afternoon led top government functionaries to the Oneya’s family to commiserate with them on another painful death of a promising young Deltan in the state.

    As the painful reality of the death of the wonderful woman sets in for her family and friends, anger is growing over the worsening security situation in Delta and other states of the federation.

    Mr Oghenejabor Ikimi, Executive Director Centre for the Vulnerable and Underprivileged, said:  “The incident and others too numerous to mention simply underscores the quantum insecurity nationwide and the urgent need for the Police to brace up to tackle the spate of lawlessness in our society.”

    Ikimi, a lawyer, urged the Delta Police Commissioner, Mr. Alkali Usman Baba to ensure that the hoodlums are apprehended and brought to book so as to serve as a deterrent to others, “we also call on the CP to also ensure that adequate security is provided throughout the state particularly in this ember months.”

    In her reaction, the Police Public Relations Office in Delta Command, DSP Celestina Kalu, vowed that the days of the hoodlums were numbered. She said several crimes in the area, including a siege to the Effurun-Ughelli axis of the East/West highway was traced to the gang.

    “Now that they have taken life we will hunt them and bring them to justice. The police is not resting we have brought other gangs to justice, this group will not go unpunished,” she vowed in a telephone chat with our reporter.

    While the police spokesperson’s tough talk is assuring, residents of the area are wary of another bloody ember period as the spectre of the Ember months of 2011 loomed large.

    While the city was still mourning the death of the cheerful Ms Oneya, hoodlums again struck on the Effurun end of the busy Old Airport by the local branch of a new generation bank in the area on Saturday afternoon. Three youths armed with cut-to-size single and double barrel rifles attacked shop owners in the area and carted away huge sums of money, bulk mobile recharge cards and other valuables.

    The activities of gangs of criminals operating on Jakpa Road in Effurun have forced residents to impose dusk-to-curfew on themselves. Unfortunately, the activities of the hooligans are not restricted by time or place.

    “It is like the wild west; we are constantly on the lookout. When you see people running, you too just have to join them and run; later you can ask to know what the matter was,” a business centre owner in the area told our reporter.

    Israel Ophori, a photojournalist escaped death by the whiskers two weeks ago when he was attacked by knife-wielding criminals at Jakpa Junction. He was serially stabbed and dispossessed of cash and other valuable.

    At about mid-September the popular Airport Road and adjoining Sokoh Estate road were shut down when a band of robbers trailed a victim who had gone to withdraw huge sum of money from a new generation bank around the vicinity.

    The victim was chased into a mechanic workshop under a shower of hot bullets. He was forced to abandon the Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) along with a bag-load of cash running into several millions of naira. After retrieving the money, the robbers continued to fire into the air until they left the scene.

    On October 9, a man went to a new generation bank located at the Total Filling Station area of Okumagba Avenue in Warri. He left the bank with N2.1million on his way to the Blue Waters area of Ekpan; he was robbed at gunpoint and the money carted away at the NNPC Housing Complex Road.

    A  statement by the state command of the Police said the victim, identified as Ephraim Iyamukre, trailed the 4-man gang through the Airport Road to Ogunu Road, where in their desperate bid to getaway, they were involved in a multiple crash.

    The crash attracted policemen from the nearby Quick Response (QRS). Consequently, the armed robbers jumped out of their vehicle and ran to different directions. Three successfully escaped after a gunfight with the police team led by ASP Okey Nweke, but the fourth was not so lucky. He was shot dead and the money, arms and ammunition were retrieved. Three persons who suffered various wounds were taken to the General Hospital, Warri.

    Earlier on that day, hundreds of passengers were left stranded on the busy Effurun-Ughelli axis of the East-West highway, following hour-long siege by a 10-man. The hoodlums indiscriminately shot and molested passengers, before they left the scene. At about the same time, a middle-aged man was shot and wounded along Sokoh Estate road.

    DSP Kalu, who confirmed the incident on Ughelli Road, hinted that the preliminary investigation showed that the same gang was behind the coldblooded murder of Ms Oneya. She said they usually moved around in large number.

    On Saturday, October 11, dozens of motorists and commuters going to Ekpan and other parts of Uvwie were rounded up by armed men around the NNPC Housing Complex Road. The victims were dispossessed of huge sums of money and other valuables.

    The robbery spree on the road continued on Sunday when scores of worshippers returning home from church were waylaid around the bridge on the road.

    A government official, who pleaded not to be named, said the administration would leave no stone unturned to ensure the security of lives and property.

    The Uduaghan administration has invested so much in security, acquiring operational vehicles and security gadgets  for the police.

  • Robbers kill General Oneya’s daughter in Delta

    Fear of another bloody ‘Ember months’ again gripped residents of the twin cities of Effurun-Warri and other towns in Delta state, following the killing of the daughter of a former military administrator of Kano state, Retired Brig General Dominic Oneya. 
     
    Ms Frances Oneya, mother of four, was on her way home from the bank when she was shot dead by armed robbers around JW Junction  on Ovie Palace Road, Effurun in broad daylight on Friday morning.
     
    The incident occurred on the same day that about 10 armed robbers laid siege to the Effurun/Ughelli axis of the East/West highway.
     
    The Police Public Relations Office, Delta Command, DSP Celestine Kalu,  who confirmed the report, said the robberies were perpetrated  by the same gang that plundered and pillaged on the Ughelli expressway.
     
    Kalu,  who spoke in a telephone chat with our reporter, said the robbers made away with the woman’s handbag.
     
     She said, “She (victim) went to the bank to withdraw money. I think they followed her (from the bank). They shot her and took her handbag but they did not know that the money was not in the bag; it was in the boot of the car.”
     
    The police image-maker further revealed that the car was recovered along with the N250, 000 cash, adding that the police were on the trail of the robbers.

  • Omo-Agege: Delta beyond ethnicity

    Propaganda not propriety, sentiments not sequence have so far defined the search for Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s successor. At the last check, over 30 governorship aspirants are jostling with all manners of plots and power play. The domino effect is that shallow stereotypes and warped perspectives are thrown up daily in the public domain by a desperate crowd of power mongers and sympathizers

    A dangerous game in power politics is raging in Delta State. A lethal game plan called AGENDA. Today politicians seeking fortune at all costs have inundated our psyche with Anioma Agenda, Urhobo agenda, Ijaw agenda e t c. Majority of the contenders in the 2015 gubernatorial battle seem to have been entrapped in a particular obsession – desire for party ticket with ethnic card. When politicians hold tribalism as the only ladder to power, democracy is in trouble !

    One aspirant who has clearly shunned the temptation is Obaisi (Barr) Ovie Omo-Agege. A detached study of his manifesto, speeches, consultations and body language easily unveils a man with a carriage that looms larger than the toga of ethnic garb. Truly Omo-Agege does not see Delta from the blinkers of ethnicity, unlike most of his peers in the governorship race. Whether in words or deeds, enlightened public opinion can uphold that he has a pan -Delta agenda in his quest to govern. This perception is unassailable for good reasons.

    Though Urhobo by origin, Omo-Agege does not have the all too familiar tribal marks of nepotism, sectionalism and self centered clannishness, common with the typical Nigerian politician . He is averse to egocentric mindset. He is not persuaded by a narrow world view. His contacts and company transcends tribal, religious and political boundaries.  He is overly cosmopolitan. Omo-Agege symbolizes the soul of Delta, its destiny and essence. He embodies the cultured pacifist spirit of the Anioma, dignified comportment of the Itsekiri, vivacious robust tendency of the Urhobo, spartan courageous latitude of the Ijaw and easy going accommodating posture of the Isoko.

    This admirable personae is rooted in his pedigree. After graduating with excellent grades in law at Nigeria’s most sought after university, UNIBEN  in 1985, he went higher in 2002 to obtain an LLM (masters of law) degree in Tulane university, United States of America, rated among the top 20 universities in the world. A distinguished academic orientation that prepared him for a dignified future.

    It is no surprise that he took  a phenomenal flight from this tutelage into the political hierarchy of Delta state, serving as Executive Assistant and then  civil commissioner under the Ibori Administration in 2005. He would fulfill a waiting destiny about a year later when he rose to become secretary to the state government, the youngest ever, setting a trail blazing direction, through service of purpose and vision. In terms of experience in governance, Omo-Agege easily takes the piece of cake. He has the matchless competence, commitment and character to lead the people of Delta.

    In Delta North senatorial district where the much advertised issue of zoning or power rotation has continued to resonate, an Omo-Agege governorship will settle all prejudices and worries. He maintains strong age old links with the Anioma people, as his native Orogun and Aboh kingdom share historical bonds of genealogy, friendship and brotherhood. He went to Obinomba Grammar School, Ukwuani local government area in the heart of Delta north where he enjoyed a large community of life-long childhood friends. By cultural and sociological heritage, no one can be more Anioma than Omo-Agege. Those who lay claim to zoning within Delta North can only exclude him by spurious geography not sound logic.

    He has in his populist agenda, envisioned and articulated a brilliant road map for the development of Delta North and indeed Central and South senatorial districts. He has made a solemn pledge to fix the bane of Agbor –  erosion, acute water problem in Asaba- Ogwashi Uku – Issele uku axis and improve the road networks in Delta north. He is poised to provide people-centered security as well as basic social infrastructure and pursue a coordinated agrarian and industrialization programmes across the three senatorial districts for the good of all.

    Again the behavior of Omo-Agege as a politician deserves celebration. He was the first and only governorship candidate to concede victory to Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, after his  April 26, 2011 election for a second tenure. He went ahead to attend Uduaghan’s inauguration at the Cenotaph Asaba and openly congratulated him to the bewilderment of all, especially the political class who see election as war.

    Omo-Agege’s mellow and restrained personality owe much to his good breeding, education and self discipline. This polished, highly educated son of a legendary Justice will make a good Governor. With his political maturity, civility and excellent manners, Delta has everything to gain.

    • Jonathan Okolo is a public affairs analyst based in Asaba

     

  • Firm crashes kerosene price to N50 per litre in Delta communities

    People in Ugborodo and Tebi-Ijoh, both in Warri South-West council area of Delta state are now beneficiaries of special kerosene subsidy called ‘KERO-Direct’, which sees the price of the product crashed from N165 to N50 per litre.

    The company social responsibility project, undertaken by an indigenous oil and gas company, A&E Petrol, sold one million litres of kerosene, at the crashed price, to the people of Ajudaibo Ogidigben, Tebi-Ijoh and other riverine oil and gas bearing communities in the council area.

    Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of A&E Petrol, Chief Ayirimi Emami, in an interview while supervising the sale of the people disclosed that the subsidy, which cost his company over N70 million, was the beginning of a long term plan to make kerosene and other petroleum products easily accessible to people of the riverine communities in Delta state at affordable prices.

    Emami further noted that the project was another strategy for reducing the problem of oil theft, which had become a national economic burden to the nation, even as he quickly pointed out that his company’s gesture had no political target, but targeted at reducing the crushing hardship daily faced by the people in the riverrine rural areas of Delta state.

    “This is a genuine effort by our company, having nothing to do with politics, but basically aimed at making life more bearable to our people in the rural areas, especially those living in the communities across waters. Besides, we believe when this is done and sustained, the problem of oil bunkering with greatly be reduced; all what the people want is an affordable life and that is what A&E Petrol is giving them through this subsidy programme”, Emami said.

    According to him, the move by his company sequel to a meeting with the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Alison Dezani  Madueke and the Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, wherein a decision was reached that in each kerosene allocation his company gets, sales of kerosene to people of the riverine communities should be subsidized.

    A Cleric, Rev. G.O.T. Aforijuku, Ogidigben Community Youth Chairman, Mr. David Mamah, Chairman of Ajudaibo Community, Japhet Emami, Madam Caroline Majebi, Clifford Ekwale, Sonny Utoro, Funmi Enegho and Madam Eworitsemogha Edun all of whom spoke to newsmen on behalf of other beneficiaries, commended A&E Petrol for the gesture, stressing that it is the first time in the history of Ugborodo communities that they are experiencing the kero direct sale despite being host to key multinational oil companies.

    Investigations revealed that the sale of kerosene in Ugborodo and its neigbouring riverine communities had been between N250 and N500 per litre due to the cost of transporting it from Warri.

    The beneficiaries appealed to the Federal Government through the NNPC to ensure that A&E Petrol get consistent allocation of kerosene and fuel to enable the company continue with the new initiative.

  • Delta impounds over 200 Okada in Sapele

    The Delta State Ministry of Transport, has impounded more than 200 commercial motorcycles, also known as Okada, in Sapele.

    The exercise followed the state government’s decision to phase the use of Okada for commercial purposes in Ika North, South and Sapele council areas of the state.

    Commissioner of Transport Ben Igbakpa, who led the team that carried out the exercise to Ughelli, expressed displeasure at the refusal of Okada operators  in the area to respect government’s order, despite positive gesture from government, which had shifted earlier deadlines to accommodate the views of Okada operators.

    Igbakpa, who said government decided to impound motorcycles to demonstrate its level of seriousness about ending the operation of  commercial motorcycles in the designated places, also denied knowledge of the destruction of some motorcycles in Mosogar recently.

    Igbakpa urged the motorcycle operators to use  tricycles popularly referred to as Keke at a reduced rate from the State Transport secretariat, Asaba if they must remain in business.

    Meanwhile, controversy is trailing the burning of some confiscated motorcycles at the Mosogar end of the Gammon Bridge by yet-to-be-identified persons.

    Though an eyewitness disclosed that the burning of the motorcycles numbering over 100 was ordered by Igbapka,  the transport commissioner denied knowledge of the incident.

    “I am not aware of the burning of any Okada, the fact remains that, any confiscated Okada is not going back to the owner. How such Okadas are being disposed is not the issue, what matter is that all Okadas in these areas must be off the road,” he said.

  • How Delta hospital’s error bungled 90-year-old’s funeral

    It was a mix-up that left the Ojojo and Atase families in Ifowodo area of Oleh, Delta State filled with rage. It also put on the edge another family with a dead relative in the morgue of the Central Hospital, Oleh, Delta State on the edges.

    When a corpse was handed over to the singing and dancing families at the morgue of Delta State government owned hospital on Friday, September 26, they thought they had the remains of a 90-year-old great great-grandmother, popularly called Malekete.

    They took the remains to the family’s home, carried out all the rites for the burial of a woman who lived well and so long. Traditional Isoko music blared; gaily dressed family members, especially women danced to the rhythm. Their friends and well-wishers fanned them with ajuju (hand-fans) and they were ‘sprayed’ crisped naira notes. It was a celebration of the life and times of the nonagenarian.

    Guests who came from all over the country were thoroughly entertained. They ate, they sang and they danced.

    Afterwards, the ‘remains’ of the 90-year-old woman – who lived long enough to see her grandchildren become grandparents – were interred amidst more singing and dancing; pomp and pageantry.

    The next day, a Saturday, an outing service was held at the Pentecostal Church of God, Oleh. Thereafter, those who came from far and wide started leaving the peaceful Isoko town.

    But three days after the burial, a revelation that shook the family and Oleh was made. The body that the members of the Ojojo and Atase families buried was not that of ‘Malekete’ but that of another female.

    “It rattled everybody and threw the families into a great confusion. The community and even the hospital management were aghast,” a source in the town revealed.

    It was gathered that the path to the fatal mistake was laid when the morgue attendant mixed up the name tag of the nonagenarian with that of another female corpse brought about the same time to the mortuary.

    A source at the mortuary said, “The attendant was a new person that was brought in just weeks earlier. He wasn’t familiar with the town and maybe the process at the morgue.”

    Further checks revealed that one error pave the way for  another when the family representative who was sent to prepare the corpse of the aged Oleh woman for burial merely handed over the cloths for the dressing to the attendant and asked a person who did not know the dead woman to perform the task.

    The trend of mistakes was taken a notch higher when the family arrived the hospital late and in a desperate bid to meet up with time grabbed the coffin and dashed back to the venue of the ceremony without a peek inside the coffin.

    “The problem really started with the family, so many divergent views on how to handle the burial and there were some persons who thought that knew better than others, including the elders of the family,” our source in the family added.

    The tragedy continued when the family chose to skip an important rite in the burial process – opening of the casket to the public for loved ones and well-wishers to bid the late great-grandmother their final goodbyes.

    “If they had allowed us to do that, someone would have noticed the mistake and we would have rectified it before it got to this embarrassing stage. But nobody saw the corpse.

    We buried someone we thought was our sister, sand and danced and then returned home” another community member added.

    The blunder was discovered on Monday – three days after the corpse had been entombed and most of the deceased’s family members who went for the burial had returned home.

    “It started as a bad dream for the morgue attendant; one family came to prepare their corpse prior to the burial that was scheduled for a few days later. When they were showed their supposed corpse, they knew there had been a mix-up.”

    After rummaging through the bodies in the morgue and not finding the corpse, it was concluded that another family must had taken the wrong body for burial. A quick check revealed the names and numbers of the two corpses that were switched. Malekete’s family members, who were invited,  came to the hospital hoping to against hope that it wasn’t true. But a look at the stone-cold remains of the old woman confirmed the error.

    In a desperate bid to hide the blunder from the public and other members of the community, it was learnt that the two families and the hospital management decided that it was best that the two corpses be should be switched in the dead of the night.

    “It was at midnight that they now went to the grave to dig up the wrong corpse and switched it with that of the old woman, who we hope would now truly be allowed to rest in peace. It was past 01:00am before they finished the exchange,” revealed a member of the community who was aware of the sordid spectacle.

    It was however learnt that the incident had thrown the hospital management and the affected family into confusion.

    Although the Commissioner for Health in the state, Dr Joseph Otumara could not be reached for comment, a source in the hospital said at least one of the negligent staff members had been issued a queried by the management.”

    Similarly, it was gathered that elders of the family which initially buried the wrong corpse are divided over whether to perform a second burial rite having discovered their mistake, since according to one of them, “The burial we  did before was for another person.

    “In a proper situation, we would need elders to consult the oracle and explain the implication of what has happened and what steps we need to take to appease the gods becausee this is an abomination,” a source in the town added.

    Meanwhile, some residents of Oleh and environs who spoke with our reporter on the incident laid the blame on the doorstep of the family. Others said it was a pointer to how corpses are treated in public hospital like the Oleh Central Hospital.

    “It is very important that people don’t leave the care of their deceased loved ones in the hands of people who don’t care about them. That is why most of our people,particularly the elderly ones, are averse to the idea of being kept in the mortuary when they die. For me, I have told my children that I must bury immediately, they should not keep me in the ‘fridge’,” a middle-aged woman said.

     

  • Obuh: Delta can survive without oil

    Obuh: Delta can survive without oil

    For 32 years, 57-year old Tony Obuh has worked as a civil servant in Delta State. The retired Permanent Secretary, Government House, is eyeing the governorship on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He spoke with reporters in Lagos on his mission in politics, zoning and the proposed primaries. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU was there.

    You are a governorship aspirant in Delta State. Do you have the cognate experience for the job?

    I have been in the civil servive for 32 years. I  holds a Masters Degree in Industrial and Labour Relations from the University of Ibadan. I was the Director , Loans and Investment, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning . I was the Director , Planning Research and Statistics , Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning. I retired as a Permanent Secretary.We formed the  Project Uduaghan International(PUI). Through that support group, we were able to work behind the scene for the governor and again, I was part of the transition committee that prepared his eventual take over of office. Along the line, you begin to see certain things that will add values to the lives of the people.

    Why are you in the race?

    It is necessary to harness the efforts of a good number of people within the system to ensure that you achieve success. If you do not understand the system or what the problems are, the tendency for you is to begin to do a blame game. I know how to harness the potentials because I have been in the system and addressing them will not be a problem. Looking at the number of persons who are around, from my personal assessment,  I know they do not have the kind of understanding and exposure  that I have and that  places my at an advantage . If you look at the fact that, by 2015, the position of the governor will become vacant and all of us are looking at a situation where somebody can take over and continue to steer the state to progress,  utilise all the opportunities that are available and continue to build what we consider to be the advantages that are already on ground , it is only somebody who understands the system thoroughly that can do that . So, in my mind, I had continued to assess the situation and to consider my suitability for that work. It is not something that was done overnight. But, something that grew with me. Even, becoming a Permanent Secretary was not something I just woke up one morning and said to God just make me a Permanent secretary. I subjected myself to training to understand the system so that, when I have the opportunity, I could do well. So, the aspiration to become the governor is a combination of well thought out plan within me on how I felt that the defect in governance  can be addressed. I believe that I can address those defects because I know what our advantages and talents are.

     What is your agenda for Delta?

    This is my plans for the new Delta or what I think I have to offer to the people of Delta State. Our policy is to push the economy of Delta beyond oil. We know what we have now as our greater advantage and resource. We know that we will one day no longer enjoy that status.

    What is your plan for agriculture?

    We should harness opportunities in different sectors and segments for the benefit of the people of Delta State . Our state has a lot of resources, natural resources and agriculture is one basic area we consider as a greater asset for the people of Delta State. It is a vital area we can develop to galvanise our economy.

    As at today, I believe that enough has not been done through agriculture for the people of the state. We still continue to witness waste loss arising from our inability to preserve and utilise our harvest and what we realise from our harvest. At harvest time, if you visit our farming communities, you will be sorry for the farmers because what they have wasted in the whole year  working at will be lost, just because they are unable to preserve, store or process them or add value and get greater benefit out of it .

    That will be a major challenge I intend to confront, if given the opportunity. We need to build the lives of the people. The full value chain of agriculture we intend to explore and develop them for the benefit of our people. Every community has a comparative advantage, in terms of the crops they will grow in those communities. We will ensure that the farmers are encouraged to produce more and what they have as excess at harvest period are mopped up and do not regret what they produce beyond their consumption.

     What about education?

    We are going to tackle education. Unemployment is a problem that is plaguing the whole world, not just Nigeria, not to talk of Delta State. But, for us in Delta, we see it as a major challenge. And part of this challenge is that our graduates, whether from secondary, polytechnics, universities  are not properly equipped to be independent. What you see is that everybody graduate and the next day they are asking of employment from the government. We should grow beyond looking for employment from the government. People should have the skill that can make them independent, engage themselves and indeed, employ other persons. So, we are going to improve our education system and produce people who can be entrepreneurs, even as they are coming out of schools. We will give them life engaging skills that can make them independent and employable, either they want to join other companies or if they want to start businesses of their own.

    How can government encourage medium scale business to grow?

    For those who have businesses and they want a sponsor, the capital has always been a big problem. Our micro and medium scale enterprises are  groaning under the pain of lack of finance to fund their investments. We will ensure that they have access to cheap funds, long term loans that will help them to invest and watch their investment grow. Instead of going to commercial banks where they pay huge interests on loans and the interest rate swallows up both the profit and capital, we will provide the capital. So, this ia an area we intend to address and we intend to put our hearts and spirit into it to ensure that it benefits the people as quickly as possible.

    How can desopadec be repositioned for better perfor-mance?

    The Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESO-PADEC) was set up by an Act of the Delta State Government in 2007 to execute a clear mandate. As stated in Section 13 (1) of its enabling law, the commission shall “receive and administer exclusively the 50 per cent  of the 13 per cent Oil Derivation Fund accruing to the Delta State Government for (a) the rehabilitation and development of Oil Producing Areas in the state, and (b) other development projects as may be determined from time to time by the commission. Since government started to fund DESOPADEC, youth restiveness has reduced. I f elected by the grace of God, I will continue in this path and ensure that projects aimed at addressing specific problems within these oil producing communities are given maximum attention. If people have what they require in the rural and riverine communities, they will not migrate to the cities to look for jobs that are not available.

    People are saying that you have been anointed by the governor. Are you the anointed candidate?

    The issue of anointment, if they say I have been anointed by some political interests, support groups, youths, communities and all of that, it is okay. I think that is what politicians seeking public offices look want. Those saying so have attempted to get such anointment without success. They have also mentioned some names to say such names have anointed me. But, let me tell you, there is nobody that has the constitutional right to give or deny support for any individual. They even said the governor has anointed me. But, I have never discussed anointment with the governor. He has never declared that he has anointed me . The Chairman of the PDP in Delta State has issued a statement that neither he nor the governor has anointed anybody. At 57 years, where I am going to is closer than where I am coming from. I have worked for 32 years. Nobody has told me that during that period,I was inclined to doing wrong things or bad things. Now is the time for me to look for a name; a name that can never fade, that can make me to be a consultant to people who will seek public office. I am determined to leave a lasting legacy of a leader that will be remembered in history. That is my determination.

  • Delta Airlines to fly to San Antonio, Dallas

    Delta Air Lines will launch twice-daily non-stop service from Los Angeles to San Antonio, Texas, from April 7, next year.

    The San Antonio service complements Delta’s daily service from Los Angeles to Dallas, which launches November 3, 2015 and the addition of a third daily flight between Los Angeles and Austin, Texas, beginning November 2,  2015.

    All flights are operated by Delta Connection carrier Compass Airlines.

    With the addition of San Antonio and Dallas service, Delta customers will have access to nine daily departures to three destinations between Los Angeles and Texas.

    For Texas customers, the new service also will provide more options when connecting to destinations in Delta’s trans-Pacific portfolio from Los Angeles. This includes service to Tokyo-Haneda; Tokyo-Narita and Sydney, as well as partner-operated service to Brisbane, Australia; Guangzhou, China; Shanghai; and Taipei.

    “For more than a year, we have grown our Los Angeles network into one of the largest operations at LAX and given our customers — particularly those in the entertainment, production, automotive and growing tech startup communities — nonstop options to destinations throughout the US,” said Ranjan Goswami, Delta’s staff vice president, Global Sales, West Region. “The addition of Dallas and San Antonio marks the next big intra-West milestone for Los Angeles as we continue building this key market and West Coast network for our customers.”

  • Schools open in Lagos Kogi, Delta, Ondo

    Schools open in Lagos Kogi, Delta, Ondo

    Private schools in Lagos State resumed yesterday, despite the state’s  postponement of resumption till October 8.

    However, it appears there is a division within the ranks of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Lagos State chapter.

    Private schools under the umbrella of the Association of Formidable Educational Development (AFED) resumed yesterday, despite the decision of their public schools counterparts not to resume.

    Amid uncertainty, following the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), pupils in Kogi State returned to school yesterday after about three months holidays.

    The government has begun distribution of preventive materials to schools across the 21 local governments.

    Items distributed included soaps, buckets with tap heads, thermometers and hand gloves.

    The Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Agnes Okai, told The Nation that the measure formed part of a plan to re-introduce personal hygiene in schools.

    Her words: “We are also providing these in the rural areas where tap water is rare. They have motorised borehole and they can fill these buckets and pupils can wash their hands and, by so doing, the culture of hygiene will return to our schools and colleges.

    “Besides Ebola, the plan of the Federal Government is for the culture of hygiene to return to our schools and colleges.”

    Public and private schools in Delta State complied yesterday with the September 22 resumption date, as schools were reopened.

    Teachers and pupils were seen in classes, although serious academic work had not begun.

    A teacher, who asked for anonymity, hailed the government for keeping to the resumption date. She said the state was free from EVD.

    She, however, advised  the government to provide water in public schools to promote hygiene.

    Public and private primary and secondary schools resumed yesterday in the 18 local governments in Ondo State, in compliance with government’s directive.

    However, not all schools had the necessary preventive materials to prevent EVD.

  • Delta warns tax defaulters

    Delta warns tax defaulters

    The Delta State Board of Internal Revenue (DBIR) has said it would punish individuals and corporate bodies who default in their tax payment.

    The Chairman, Thomas Joel-Onowakpo,  said this after a three-day stakeholders’ meeting with staff of the board, tax professionals, companies and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) collecting banks.

    Joel-Onowakpo said the board would soon start  publishing names of defaulting companies and banks that delay remittance of deposited taxes.

    “Now when we held meeting with our staff, the objective is to sensitise them about what we are about to do in Board of Internal Revenue.

    “You remember in 2011, we embarked on a tax professional system.

    “Their duty is to liaise with the public to make sure that every kobo that belongs to the board is returned to the government.”