The 2017 local government elections in the 25 council areas in Delta State may suffer setbacks if the owner of the property – the Delta State Electoral Commission (DSIEC) is not settled.
The owner of the property, about a week ago had quitted staff of the commission from the premises over unpaid arrears by the Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa-led government.
Reacting, Patrick Ukah, the Commissioner for Information contradicted himself on the issue when he initially said that “the landlord of the said property was at the Ministry of Lands, Survey and Urban Development to collect his cheque” only to turned around to say that “The cheque to offset the arrears was since ready and lying fallow at the Ministry”.
To impartial observers, the question becomes – was the landlord at Ministry of Lands to collect his cheque and or was the cheque lying fallow at the Ministry?
It would be recall that 247ureports.com had exclusively reported that the owner of the office apartment housing DSIEC, an agency of the Delta State government saddled with the responsibility of conducting local government election had given a notice to quit the premises to the government for inability to pay its rent.
The compound houses three buildings – the administrative, legal, finance departments; it also houses the Chairman of the commission, Mr. Moses Ogbe and the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the agency, Alero.
The landlord of the property had sealed up the premises to the surprise of the staff.
These days, hardly can anyone read a good story on Delta State from 247ureports.com. Most of the reports are attacks on the State Government. On this, my simple question is how many employees of 247ureports.com are up-to-date with their basic bills like kids school fees, rent, feeding, medicals, meeting commitments to dependants etc. The fact on ground is that the Nigerian economy is in seeming distress situation. That the Delta State government is owing one year rent is true reflection of the state of the nation.
The issue of delay in Government indebtedness to its contractors and Landlords has become an acceptable norm in Nigeria. Be it Federal, State or Local government the story is almost the same. Realistically, the bureaucratic bottlenecks involved in getting paid by government inform prospective landlords to charge as high as three times the normal rate. That the Okowa led government has not paid for a year is not an abnormality that merits headline news.
Why should any reasonable person even blame anyone that has paid rent in the previous years for defaulting for just one year?
Any credible reporter should have done this story in a way that would awaken the country’s leadership to today’s realities that the problems of State governments have been magnified under President Buhari. The truth is at the state level, our democracy may be at risk if the Government of a State like Delta cannot meet its tenancy obligation for its Electoral Commission, an issue which may be major hindrance to free and fair election as promised by President Buhari.
Recently, I told a very good friend of mine that complained over the inability of his tenants to meet their rent payments to go and read what economic recession truly means. When he asked for my explanation, I offered it. Thereafter, he understood that it will take Devine intervention to get his money from his tenants because how can a family that cannot meet its primary needs on feeding place rent payment as top priority. That is the situation with Delta state where salary payment and road repairs seem to be the main focus of the government. Such issues like rent obligations may only become possible when the revenue improves. It is just a terrible reality.
That Delta has not paid one year rent of DELSEC is just an indication of what lies ahead except the Buhari led administration reverses the Nation’s dwindling economy, a wish that cannot be accomplished overnight. Such problems are not peculiar to Delta State. We dey wahala oh!
I live in Asaba and work with the Delta State Government, thus, I confirm that the long stay of DELSEC in a private owned property is for special interest of some persons in past administration of Delta state.
The case of Delta State Election Commission stay in a hired building has its roots in a complex fraud. First, what happened to the Land former governor James Ibori allocated to the Agency on Maryam Babaginda way, who sold it, to whom and why? This remains a puzzle that the past administration of Dr. Uduaghan must resolve as part of the many fraud that were carried out in connivance with officials of the State lands Ministry,
The Landlord of the so called Delta State Electoral Commission aka DELSEC should seek a garment of patience because to owe in Nigeria no longer attracts shame and any media report on such may make no difference, persuasion should be the best approach.
I am sure the Okowa led administration is not alone on this issue of overdue payments to landlords because I can imagine what goes on in States that cannot even afford payment of salaries unlike Delta State that has been lucky with payment of majority of its workers.
Why should a State like Delta State still keep such an important democratic agency like its electoral commission in a rented apartment if not for Dr. Uduaghan’s mismanagement and looting of the State resources in the past eight years? I hate to agree with the assumption of this writer that the present administration of Delta state under Ifeanyi Okowa should be blamed over this issue that could have been avoided. If an investigation is conducted t is possible that three year rent charge could have built the property for the State, after all, the state government has many lands that are unused.
If really this reporter is clear headed that Delta State’s economic situation is not excluded from the Nigerian situation, he would not have written this story in the manner he did. My guess is that the landlord of the said property used him for self interest. When the negotiation commenced was it announced or were the terms made public? Let the aggrieved party go to court. This measure of bringing the press on a seeming personal transaction may multiply the Landlord’s problems. This is a wrong approach.
Issallrite! Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa is a llistening Governor. DSIEC will not conduct the said election without an office. This is really a simple issue.
This story may have been instigated by some officials of DSIEC in order to put pressure on the Government and collect their share. If the truth be said. Embarrassing Governor Okowa will not help the issue on ground. What do they expect from a government that is a struggle to pay workers’ salary? Stop paying salaries to meet the needs of an individual? Let the State Government move that office of DSIEC to a section of the old government lodge. Such a move may even secure the office better
Every landlord should be reasonable with his tenants because we now live in very difficult economic times under President Buhari’s administration that is applying very strange economic concepts that has made Nigeria look like a nation that has just be thrust into economic crisis that only befits a country in a post war situation. The said landlord being owed by Delta State Government should pray that Delta State government Revenue improves.