Controversy is brewing among ethnic Nationalities in Delta State following the recently signed 2016 budget of Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC.
Deliberate attempts by Officials of Delta State Government, Delta State House of Assembly (DTHA) and members of DESOPADEC Board to hide the content of the controversial budget from the prying eyes of ethnic leaders as well as groups of Itsekiri, Ijaw and Isoko extractions, it was learnt that the Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Monday Ovwigho Igbuya, Chairman, Delta State House of Assembly Committee on DESOPADEC and member representing Warri South Constituency II in the House, Hon. Dennis Omovie as well as the Chairman, House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Erhiatake Ibori, daughter of the embattled former governor who is cooling off in London Prison for money laundry and an incompetent lawmaker who could not read her father’s simple tribute on late Felix Ibru, skewed the budget in favour of Urhobo ethnic Nationality to the detriment of Itsekiri, Ijaw and Isoko with larger crude oil production quantum under the guise of centralized budget.
An impeccable source said that unlike in previous budgets which never exceeded 13% of the entire budget of the Commission, the 2016 DESOPADEC budget purportedly allocated 37% of its proposed expenditure as centralized, with Urhobo Nation getting over 50% despite ranking lower than Itsekiri, Ijaw, Isoko and Ndokwa in terms of crude oil production quantum, a principle on which DESOPADEC was established by the Chief James Onanefe Ibori’s administration.
The breakdown reveals that while Itsekiri Nation has been allocated a paltry N2.8 billion in the 2016 DESOPADEC budget estimate, Ijaw ethnic Nationality which ordinarily comes second in terms of production quantum in the State got N2.9 billion, while Urhobo, Isoko and Ndokwa Nations were allocated N2.3, N1.4 and N1.4 respectively (approximate figures) totalling N11billion, even as the obnoxious centralized budget is estimated at N16.6 billion.
In its reaction, the National Association of Itsekiri Graduates, NAIG has “totally rejected the 2016 DESOPADEC budget as passed”, describing the budget as “a call for another ethnic crisis in Delta State and as such should be suspended”.
According to the Itsekiri graduates’ body, the “budget does not reflect the interest of the Itsekiri ethnic Nationality, neither does it reflect the oil production quantum of Itsekiri Nation”.
NAIG in a statement signed by its National President, Comrade Oritsetimeyin Collins Edema, PRO1, Comrade Sholuwa Solomon expressed anger over the ignorance of the content of the 2016 DESOPADEC budget by the three lawmakers of Itsekiri extraction in Delta State House of Assembly: Hon. Daniel Mayuku, Hon. Omawumi Udoh and Hon. Michael Diden AKA Ejele.
According to the statement, Hon. Dennis Omovie whose assumption of the position of Chairman, House Committee on DESOPADEC remains a big misery despite not coming from an oil producing area, imputed about 26 projects in the budget, while Hon. Daniel Mayuku, Hon. Omawumi Udoh and Hon. Michael Diden imputed laughable projects in the controversial budget.
Hon. Michael Diden, a former Commissioner in the Board of DESOPADEC only contribution to the budget was simply the supply of Toyota Hilux for community relations, while Hon. Udoh’s input was the supply of medical equipment to health centres in Warri South Local Government Area (469/458/CI/62) a contract awarded to one De Moor Global Nigeria Limited.
The member representing Warri South-West Constituency in the House and immediate past Chairman, House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Hon. Daniel Omayone Mayuku imputed jobs for the “landscaping/fencing/generator house/ supply of medical equipment/supply of 60KVA generator set at Obonteghareda”, construction of Daniel Mayuku Road as well as a health centre (469C/459/CI/57) awarded to a certain Jutan Global Resources.
Interestingly, the 26 projects Hon. Dennis Omovie in-scripted into the 2016 budget in the guise of centralized budget included the “construction of Ovie Palace, Agbarah, Warri, awarded to CAB Engineering Services Limited, massive infrastructural works in the lawmaker’s Kotokoto layout in Udu Local Government Area, land acquisition/construction of comprehensive health centre at Edjeba, Warri and a ridiculous contract for the “clearing of creeks/water hyacinth at Orugbo, Big Warri, Usele and Ubeji creeks, the only job the long-serving legislator deemed fit to be executed in Itsekiri communities in the 2016 budget despite representing some Itsekiri dominated wards from Warri South Constituency II in the State House of Assembly.
While stating that “we won’t tolerate a situation where DESOPADEC money from Itsekiri is now being used to fund a building project in Western Delta University, a privately owned University/funding of the building of an Ovie Palace and funding of the fencing of Ekpan Police Station”, NAIG, “advised Itsekiri legislators to resign for failing to live up to expectations”, warning that they “will soon begin the process of recalling our legislators as their continuous stay in the House is detrimental to the interest of the Itsekiri Nation”.
