The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Okowa

  • ‘Okowa should not marginalise Itsekiri’

    ‘Okowa should not marginalise Itsekiri’

    Itsekiri high chief Rita lori-Ogbebor, in this interview with reporters in Lagos, calls for the transparent management of the Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC). Musa Odoshimokhe was there.

    You have always agitated for transparent management of the Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC). what informed this position?

    The DESOPADEC issue is important to me because I am from the Niger Delta, I live in Lagos and I have seen how Lagos has transformed through the years. I agree that it is people like us who have helped to transform Lagos but the politicians too have played their part very well. I have been in Lagos for over 50 years; the people have not come to harass me because Lagos is safe. This is not the case with the Niger Delta, where I come from. It pains me to see so much poverty in Warri, an oil producing city.  Things have degenerated to a level where there are no roads. All the recreational centres have all degenerated and it pains me because I am from there. I cannot brag to be successful in another man’s place, when people suffer in the place I come from. That is why I am constantly looking inwards into how DESOPADEC performs its duties. When we got 13 per cent derivation from the Federal Government, it was a thing of joy because we thought all our riverine areas will be developed, but it is a shame today, when you look at the situation there. Where are the billions that are derived from this place?  Then you find our boys who are shamelessly riding Rolls-Royce on bad roads. They do not bother about the hunger and joblessness in the area. These people are the ones who have put us in this dilemma.

    Whatever happens in DESOPADEC, it is always supported in the budget…

    On the budget being presented to the governor, there is need to properly screen it.

    This budget, I learnt, is ready to go before the governor and then it will go to the House of Assembly. But, let me talk about the Itsekiri nation: Who are our representatives at DESOPADEC? Who did they talk to before presenting our position in the budget? I am a chief and know everything about Itsekiri land. I know the people, I know the areas and who did they talk to before submitting this budget? What have they submitted? About three months ago, the Olu formed a council called the Olu-in-Council which is the highest body in Itsekiri land. We did not hear anything from our representatives. These boys just rushed and put things together to benefit themselves. And they are now taking it to the governor before it will go to the House of Assembly. The House will take their cut, and then the remaining one will go into their pockets because nobody knew what they put in the budget. When that is done, they cannot be challenged because they never told anyone what the budget contains.

    What is the implication of not following due process?

    Today, the situation in the riverine areas is getting worse. The thought of it makes me sad. These people have no conscience and that is why I am constantly reminding them that there is God. If you take, you must give. How can you see your own human being suffering in the midst of plenty?

    We the Itsekiri want to see the budget which the so-called representatives prepared. We didn’t choose them. I am now asking the governor, who chose them to return this budget to the people. Let there be a town hall meeting where, all the communities will sit and decide what they want to do in line with the immediate needs in the communities.

    I have been on this advocacy since the days of James Ibori. I took him to court and the matter went up to the Supreme Court. Now another governor is there, I don’t want to battle him. I am calling on him to do good things for us. He asked for our votes and we gave him, now we want him to use the money accruable to us and develop our areas. If the budget is not returned, I will go to court because our people are suffering.

    Can you justify your claim that the  representatives of the Itsekiri on the board of the DESOPADEC never interface with the people?

    There was nothing of such because they believe they were appointed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government, so they have nothing to do with the Itsekiri people. They even said that the Itsekiri did not appoint them to the board. There was a case of money that was taken during Christmas. The money was allocated to the ethnic group but they said it was PDP money. I don’t know whether the PDP produces anything. That was how the money vanished.

     

     

    There are claims that some chiefs in the region also short-change their subjects in terms of the funds accruable to the oil communities. Is the Itsekiri ethnic group also affected by this?

    It is good to ask if the chiefs are not collaborating with these people. The answer is no. I am a chief and we work together. Most of these chiefs travel to Warri from their various places of destination. There is the Warri Council of Chiefs which I am a member. There is no chief collaborating with them. It is important to state that the chiefs don’t receive anything from these people because our service is selfless. We are only concerned about how to better the lives of our people. My service to my people is free and all the chiefs too.

    Can you point at the areas that the agency has not attended to over the years that actually need attention?

    It is better to reverse the question. It should have been that I should point at one thing they have done that have been of benefit to the people. They should come and show us. That is why I am asking the governor not to honour the budget by our representatives. I want the governor to come and look at these areas that we are talking about.

  • Group urges Okowa to restore monument

    A group, Organisation For the Advancement of Anioma Culture (OFAAC), has appealed to the governor of Delta State, Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa, to restore Ekwumekwu Monument which was pulled down five years ago during the construction of a flyover bridge in Asaba, the state capital.

    President of OFAAC,  Arc. Kester Ifeadi, who led his members to the governor, also intimated him about the activities lined up for this year’s Anioma Cultural Festival scheduled for Easter Monday, March 28.

    Ekwumekwu was the political evolution of Anioma nation, with particular emphasis on its ethno-history.

    According to Ifeadi, “Ekwumekwu among other landmark historical events represents for us, as a people, our vision and realities, the ennobling qualities of our people which reminds us of our past history, achievements and a feeling of national belonging.   We are emboldened to say that culture represents, the passed-down and learnt values of great antiquity and our capacity to adapt and fit ourselves into the world civilization without losing the intrinsic values of our heritage.”

    The Ekwumekwu monument was sculpted by Augustus Iweke in 1995 and commissioned by the then Military Administrator of the state, Ibrahim Kefas.

    Ifeadi recalled that the point at which the monument was located became known as ‘Ekumeku Roundabout’. “It was a beautiful monument and an important piece of history that reminds people that there were important events in the region before they were born,” hence the need to restore it.

  • Okowa condemns attacks on oil facilities

    Okowa condemns attacks on oil facilities

    •JTF: attacks threaten national security

    Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has condemned the recent attacks on oil and gas facilities across the state.

    He called on residents to cooperate with security agencies to arrest the perpetrators.

    The governor dispelled rumours that there were plans for security operatives to attack creek communities.

    At a briefing after a security meeting at the Government House Annex, Warri yesterday, Okowa said there were no plans to attack the communities and that the people should go about their business.

    “People should go about their businesses because there are no plans to attack the communities, what we witnessed was unfortunate and condemnable.”

    The governor said the Minister of Defence and Chief of Defence Staff would be in the state for on-the-spot assessment of the damaged facilities.

    In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Charles Ehiedu Aniagwu, Okowa urged security agencies to intensify their surveillance and pledged the commitment of his administration to support all measures that would  restore the confidence of stakeholders.

    The Operation Pulo Shield (OPS), formerly called the Joint Task Force (JTF), has said the recent multiple attacks on pipelines in Niger Delta are capable of undermining national security.

    OPS Commander of Operation Maj-Gen Alani Okunlola threatened to hold community leaders responsible for any future attacks on oil installations.

    In a statement yesterday in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital,  OPS said it would no longer tolerate any act of sabotage on oil facilities.

    It said: “This warning is coming as a result of recent multiple attacks on oil facilities and platforms by suspected militants in the Niger Delta.”

    Describing the attacks as criminal, OPS urged government officials and community leaders to give its officers and other security agencies useful information.

    A group, the Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ), has denounced the renewed attacks.

    In a statement yesterday by its National Coordinator, Sheriff Mulade, CEPEJ urged security agencies to go after the attackers.

    Mulade said security agents must intensify their surveillance on oil facilities, adding that the communities in the creeks should assist them to identify the masterminds.

     

  • Okowa promises Warri Wolves govt support

    Okowa promises Warri Wolves govt support

    The chairman of the Delta State Sports Commission, Tony Okowa has assured players of Warri wolves FC of the state government’s continual support in ensuring the team remains among the top contenders in the country and continent.

    He disclosed this to the players in their close camp in Kwale as the team finalised  preparations for the super four next week in Kaduna.

    The Sports Commission chairman said  that certain changes will be injected into the team so as to achieve the set target for the team this season.

    He assured the players that all bonuses and any financial obligations between the players,team management and the state government will be sorted out and settled next week.

    “I can tell you that all your bonuses and the 20% payment we agreed on will be paid  next week Monday and for the new season your salary structure is already being prepared and it has to be based on your performance as a player. You must be in top form so as keep your relevance in the team’s players grading structure. This is a new era of Warri Wolves so all past grievances should be forgiven and forgotten and every body must work together to surpass the previous  standard and record. ”

    Speaking on behalf of the team, the vice captain, Goodluck  Onamodoh thanked Okowa for the visitation and promised that the players will certainly work harder this season so as to show gratitude to the state government for its continual support and encouragement.

    The team is expected to depart Kwale for Kaduna the venue of this seasons super four today and play their opening match against Akwa United on Wednesday.

  • Okowa, Delta roads and government of ‘madmen’

    At a time residents of urban cities in Delta State are contemplating whether to adopt canoe or camel as means of transportation due to the awful condition of roads in the state, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa dropped a bombshell on Sunday, October 11.

    He told newsmen at the Olu Palace (Aghofen) in Warri, after paying a condolence visit to the Regent of Warri Kingdom, Prince Eroro Emiko, on the death of the 18th Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse II, that “only a mad man constructs roads in the rainy season, because you would just have destroyed the roads rather than repair it. In the dry season, we will attend to the roads.”

    Some commentators see the statement as a veiled jibe at his predecessor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, who governed the state from 2007 till May 29, this year. The cold war between the former associates and leaders of the PDP is an open secret.

    A section of the debaters flayed the governor’s choice of words as unbecoming of his position as the highest political officeholder in the land.

    There is no doubt that the condition of roads in the urban areas of the state, particularly in the commercial axis of Warri-Effurun, leaves much more to be desired from those who administered and are administering the affairs of the oil-rich state.

    Roads in Warri and its environs have deteriorated to an unbearable level since Okowa took over the reign of government five months ago, and this probably led to the question that brought the ‘Madman’ analogy. The governor was seen as not only passing the bulk, but flaying his forerunner in office.

    Recall that, in the dying days of the Uduaghan administration, a contract was awarded for the resurfacing of Airport Road, one of the busiest roads linking the twin cities of Effurun and Warri.

    In a mad rush to complete the project, the contractor, a well-known politician in the state, worked in the rain and shine in those last weeks. The result of the desperate move was a new coat that did not cohere with the old, leading to its peeling off even as the new layer was being laid.

    The effect, to rephrase Okowa, was the destruction of the road, rather than repairing it. It was not the first time such contract would be awarded, and like many before that, the road and its users have been worse off.

    The Airport Road project is the first and the only road to receive the attention of the present administration in the Warri area. The contract awarded was not to repair the road, but to remove the new ‘surface’ that was debarking and making driving on the road a nightmare for motorists.

    “It is a shame that what one government spent money to lay another is spending even more money to remove! This can only happen in a society where we are led by mad men,” an aged retired civil servant, who asked not to be named because of security reasons, lamented.

    Equally sad is the fact that the contractor handling the scraping job has left the site with a large portion of the road undone, thereby making it worse off.

    There is no respite anywhere for motorists and the rains bring even more hardship.

    On a normal day and time, driving round the twin-cities–from Effurun Roundabout, through the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Expressway, to Warri/Effurun/Sapele Road-should not take more than 30 minutes. But, in the present time, it could take up to three or four hours, depending on the time of the day, weather and other factors.

    During a torrential downpour on Monday, it took over two hours to manoeuvre from the Ogunu, through the flyover bridge to Ajamimogha Road – a distance less than half a kilometre. Those going to Ubeji from the Ekpan axis of Effurun spent up to five hours through the less than five kilometre road.

    The gridlock returned to the cities after another downpour on Tuesday and like the previous days, it not only affected those living in the cities, but also travellers passing through Efurun to Ughelli, Bayelsa communities and other towns in the region.

    Mr Sunny Fole, a businessman who was taking his mother to the clinic in nearby Oghara, spent several hours at the Effurun Roundabout. But fortunately for him, the medical need was not urgent.

    Okowa has promised a new dawn for residents of the area during the dry season. But residents of the areas are used to failed promises by their government officials and so residents have adopted a ‘wait-and-see’ stance.

     

     

  • Train job creators, Okowa tells poly teachers

    DELTA State Governor  Ifeanyi Okowa has challenged lecturers in polytechnic nationwide to lay emphasis on multi-disciplinary research and practical life skills to ensure that their products are job-creators.

    Okowa, who spoke on Tuesday while inaugurating the Governing Council of the Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro, observed that the current education system where graduates look for paid employment is wrong.

    “We are deeply convinced that the solution to the massive youth unemployment that we are facing in the country, and especially in our state, lies not with certificate acquisition, but with skills building through technical cum vocational education,” Okowa stated.

    Okowa continued:  “Students must be taught and equipped with entrepreneurial skills, problem-solving abilities, principles of personal effectiveness, leadership development, business and crisis management, as well as current trends in business and ethics.

    “The development of technical education is at the core of our S.M.A.R.T agenda because we believe that until we get our youths to acquire the requisite technical and vocational skills, we are not building a future for them.”

    The governor said to this end, his administration has prioritized technical education.

    “No meaningful national development can be achieved without sound, qualitative technical education and in Delta State, three of our technical colleges are currently being rehabilitated and refocused to equip students with the knowledge and entrepreneurial skills for business, trade and commerce,” he said.

    He challenged the Governing Council and management of the institution to pay attention to improved curriculum and quality of teaching so as to equip students with the requisite mind-set and knowledge to excel in today’s rapidly changing world.

     

     

    Funkekeme Solomon is the Chairman of the Governing Council; while Mr Joe Adigwe, Mr Gabriel Alebe and Mrs Oti Agoba are members.

    In his response, Solomon thanked Governor Okowa for constituting the council. He assured that members would carry out their functions with diligence.

     

  • Okowa defeats Emerhor, Ogboru at tribunal

    Okowa defeats Emerhor, Ogboru at tribunal

    The Delta State Governorship Elections Petitions Tribunal yesterday affirmed the victory of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as winner of the April 11 governorship election.

    The three-man panel, headed by Justice Nasir Gnmi, threw out the petitions of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, O’tega Emerhor, and the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Great Ogboru.

    Justice Gunmi dismissed Emerhor’s petition.

    The tribunal’s decision was based on three issues for adjudication.

    They are: whether or not the petition was competent, bearing in mind the requirements of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and the Electoral Act; whether or not the petitioner had the locus standi to maintain the petition; whether or not the election on April 11 was not conducted in substantial compliance with the provision of the Electoral Act and which non-compliance substantially affected the outcome of the election and whether or not the petitioner proved  that the first respondent was not elected by majority of lawful votes cast.

    On whether or not the first respondent was elected by majority of the lawful votes cast at the election, Justice Gunmi held that this “has becomes a mute issue in view of his return by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the lawful authority to act in this matter”.

    On locus standi, the tribunal chairman held that the APC candidate “has requisite locus standi to file and maintain this petition”.

    The issue of whether the petition was not signed by the petitioner, Justicce Gumi resolved this in favour of the respondents.

    He said: “Sequel to the finding that the petition is initiated contrary to the provision of Section 432 of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act 2010, as amended, in that only the first petitioner signed the petition. The issues were not established in accordance with extant laws. The concomitance of the issues aforesaid in this petition is without merit; it is bound to fail and it fails. It is hereby dismissed. It follows that the election and return of the first respondent as the duly elected governor of Delta State is affirmed. Each set of respondent shall be entitled to N50,000 as cost of prosecuting the petition.”

    Justice Gunmi struck out Ogboru’sn suit.

    Ogboru lost on three of the four grounds formulated by the tribunal for adjudication.

    It ruled in favour of Ogboru on grounds that he lacked locus standi to institute ad maintain the petition.

    On the issue of jurisdiction, Justice Gunmi held that the tribunal had the jurisdiction to entertain the matter.

    On the issue of over voting, Gunmi held that the Labour Party candidate failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that over voting took place in the election.

    The tribunal further held that Ogboru was unable to prove allegations of corrupt practices, violence and electoral malpractices

    Gunmi also awarded N50, 000 costs in favour of the three sets of respondents.

  • Okowa’s defence lawyer loses N44.6m in Delta hotel

    Okowa’s defence lawyer loses N44.6m in Delta hotel

    •Complainant refuses to show up at police station, says commissioner
    •Tribunal delivers verdict today

    A senior counsel in the defence team of Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has lost $200,000 in a popular hotel in Asaba, the Delta State capital, it was learnt at the weekend.

    It was gathered that the black market value of the stolen money was about N44.6 million.

    But the Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Baba Alkali Usman, confirmed to The Nation that $100,000 was stolen.

    It was unclear what the money was meant.

    The three-man panel of the State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal led by Justice Nasir Gunmi is set to deliver judgment today in the two petitions by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Labour Party (LP) challenging the declaration of Okowa of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as winner of the April 11, 2015 governorship election by the independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The defence lawyers to the governor were lodged at the hotel adjacent to the tribunal throughout the duration of the election petition.

    The lead lawyers in the defence team are: Dr. Alex Izinyon (SAN) representing Okowa (the first respondent); Mr. A.T. Kehinde (SAN) for  the PDP  and Damien Dodo (SAN) for the third respondent (INEC).

    It was learnt that the money was stolen from Chalet 111 in the hotel, where one of the lawyers resided.

    It was learnt that four suspects – two females and two males – were arrested and detained by the police over the theft.

    Of the four, a female believed to be the girlfriend of one of the suspects was also arrested.

    The suspects are Uchechukwu, Florence , Favour and  Chidozie.

    It was learnt that the suspects were granted N180,000 bail.

    One of the male suspect paid N80,000. Another suspect coughed out N50, 000.

    The last two suspects, who were unable to pay the bail sum, were held until their relatives paid N50,000.

    The suspects were kept at the Police ‘A’ Division for three weeks before they were transferred to the state police headquarters, where they spent another three weeks.

    A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed that the girlfriend to one of the suspects was apprehended on the ground that the money might have been hidden in her house.

    The Nation gathered that subsequent search on the lady’s home by the police did not produce any incriminating evidence.

    It was gathered that the management of the hotel, unsatisfied with the conduct of the investigation by the police, petitioned the state police commissioner, who ordered a transfer of the matter to the State Criminal Investigating Department (SCID).

    The suspects were released last Thursday.

    The police commissioner confirmed that $100,000 was stolen at the hotel, adding that the hotel’s chief security officer lodged a complaint to the police.

    He said the police were constrained to act because the lawyer refused to formally lodge a complaint, adding that the police had to release the suspects.

    Alkali debunked the claim that the police received N180,000 as bail, stressing that bail was free and that his men would not indulge in such criminal activity.

    His words: ‘We have received a case of stolen money from Grand Hotel by the chief security officer of the hotel, who reported that one of his guests lost the sum of $100,000.We incidented the matter at the Police ‘A’ Division and requested that those who worked overnight and those who had the keys to the chalet and those on night duty on that day appear at the police station.

    “We visited the scene of the incident. When we did not see the complainant, we had to release those four persons pending when the complainant will come and formally lodge a complaint.

    “But the CSO petitioned the Police ‘A’ Division and the matter was transferred to the State Criminal investigation Department. We released the four suspects when the complainant still failed to turn up. We held four suspects .Two of them – members of staff of the hotel, but the other two are not members of staff. The only connection is that one of them is the boyfriend to one of the suspects.

    “On the issue of paying N180, 000 as bail, as far as I am concerned, the officer in charge says he does not know anything about it.”

  • Uduaghan calls for calm, says Okowa will emerge victorious

    Uduaghan calls for calm, says Okowa will emerge victorious

    The immediate past Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, wants Deltans, especially members of the Peoples Democratic Party to remain calm and steadfast following the tribunal ruling nullifying the election of Governor Nyesom Wike in Rivers State. He said there is no cause for alarm in Delta State.

    Dr. Uduaghan in a statement yesterday said the governorship election in Delta State was free and fair and devoid of violence, adding “the international observers who monitored the governorship election in Delta State affirmed the results as being free, fair and without any form of violence.”

    Giving further reasons why the PDP and its candidate, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, defeated other governorship candidates at the election, the former governor said: “In Delta State, PDP was the only party that campaigned vigorously and was in touch with the voters even at the grassroots level. We worked hard for our candidate.

    “So I am appealing to our supporters to remain calm while we await the tribunal ruling on Monday. There is no cause for alarm as I am sure that those who went to the tribunal were aware that they have no case and the PDP and its candidate, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa will emerge victorious at the end of the day.”

  • Okowa, Delta roads and government of ‘madmen’

    At a time residents of urban cities in Delta State are contemplating whether to adopt canoe or camel as means of transportation due to the awful condition of roads in the state, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa dropped a bombshell on Sunday, October 11.

    He told newsmen at the Olu Palace (Aghofen) in Warri, after paying a condolence visit to the Regent of Warri Kingdom, Prince Eroro Emiko, on the death of the 18th Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse II, that “only a mad man constructs roads in the rainy season, because you would just have destroyed the roads rather than repair it. In the dry season, we will attend to the roads.”

    Some commentators see the statement as a veiled jibe at his predecessor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, who governed the state from 2007 till May 29, this year. The cold war between the former associates and leaders of the PDP is an open secret.

    A section of the debaters flayed the governor’s choice of words as unbecoming of his position as the highest political officeholder in the land.

    There is no doubt that the condition of roads in the urban areas of the state, particularly in the commercial axis of Warri-Effurun, leaves much more to be desired from those who administered and are administering the affairs of the oil-rich state.

    Roads in Warri and its environs have deteriorated to an unbearable level since Okowa took over the reign of government five months ago, and this probably led to the question that brought the ‘Madman’ analogy. The governor was seen as not only passing the bulk, but flaying his forerunner in office.

    Recall that, in the dying days of the Uduaghan administration, a contract was awarded for the resurfacing of Airport Road, one of the busiest roads linking the twin cities of Effurun and Warri.

    In a mad rush to complete the project, the contractor, a well-known politician in the state, worked in the rain and shine in those last weeks. The result of the desperate move was a new coat that did not cohere with the old, leading to its peeling off even as the new layer was being laid.

    The effect, to rephrase Okowa, was the destruction of the road, rather than repairing it. It was not the first time such contract would be awarded, and like many before that, the road and its users have been worse off.

    The Airport Road project is the first and the only road to receive the attention of the present administration in the Warri area. The contract awarded was not to repair the road, but to remove the new ‘surface’ that was debarking and making driving on the road a nightmare for motorists.

    “It is a shame that what one government spent money to lay another is spending even more money to remove! This can only happen in a society where we are led by mad men,” an aged retired civil servant, who asked not to be named because of security reasons, lamented.

    Equally sad is the fact that the contractor handling the scraping job has left the site with a large portion of the road undone, thereby making it worse off.

    There is no respite anywhere for motorists and the rains bring even more hardship.

    On a normal day and time, driving round the twin-cities–from Effurun Roundabout, through the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Expressway, to Warri/Effurun/Sapele Road-should not take more than 30 minutes. But, in the present time, it could take up to three or four hours, depending on the time of the day, weather and other factors.

    During a torrential downpour on Monday, it took over two hours to manoeuvre from the Ogunu, through the flyover bridge to Ajamimogha Road – a distance less than half a kilometre. Those going to Ubeji from the Ekpan axis of Effurun spent up to five hours through the less than five kilometre road.

    The gridlock returned to the cities after another downpour on Tuesday and like the previous days, it not only affected those living in the cities, but also travellers passing through Efurun to Ughelli, Bayelsa communities and other towns in the region.

    Mr Sunny Fole, a businessman who was taking his mother to the clinic in nearby Oghara, spent several hours at the Effurun Roundabout. But fortunately for him, the medical need was not urgent.

    Okowa has promised a new dawn for residents of the area during the dry season. But residents of the areas are used to failed promises by their government officials and so residents have adopted a ‘wait-and-see’ stance.