By Justice Iyasere, Warri
Leaders of the host Udu Communities to Premium Steel and Mines Limited, former Delta Steel Company, Ovwian-Aladja has disowned a statement credited to them, allegedly indicting the management of Premium Steel and Mines Limited of Assets stripping, declaring that the statement was cooked up by enemies of the company to discredit the new management without their knowledge.
In a statement released to newsmen on Friday by Elder Otto Ogbiruveta, President General of Aladja Community; Chief Matthew Odjeku Uparan, President General of Ovwian Community , the community leaders noted that the report by Sahara Reporters, an online news medium was laced with mischief, libelous content and the height of destructive political tomfoolery concocted to whip up sentiment against the good intention of the current management and delay the process of resuscitation of the plant being marshaled by the present owners.
‘’We are shocked to read a dubiously concocted report in Sahara Reporters, an credible online news medium, purportedly emanating from the leadership of the Udu Host Communities and Youth leader saying that there is ‘Controversy trailing Delta Steel Company assets disposal’ and that the host communities led by Mr Ellias Dogene, ‘President General of Aladja Community’ and Chief Matthew Uparan, President General of Ovwian Community as well as Hon Emmanuel Kpomanefe, President General of Ekete Community made some complaints of assets stripping against the current management of the company.
‘’Nothing could be further from the truth. First, Mr. Ellias Dogene is the Manager, Community Affairs to Premium Steel and Mines Limited and couldn’t have signed any statement indicting his own place of work. Aside that, Dogene is not the President General of Aladja Community, rather Elder Otto Ogbiruveta is the PG of Aladja. One wonders therefore, how Dogene came to impersonate Elder Ogbiruveta against the interest of the company where he works and resumes every day. That alone is enough to put a lie to the entire piece.
‘’Also, the President of all Udu youths is Mr Emmanuel Esiefarienrhe and not the so-called Freeborn Ovwemejepha, who purportedly made a statement indicting PSML of assets stripping. We have interrogated Mr. Emmanuel Esiefarienrhe who is from Aladja Community and he denied ever authorizing any statement with regards to assets stripping against management of the company.
‘’From all intent and purposes, it is obvious that some depraved and iniquitous personalities with the clear intention of denigrating the integrity and corporate profile of PSML have gone into town, impersonating Udu community leaders, host to the former DSC to cast aspersion and discredit the resuscitation process of the company so as to truncate the excellent action plans already in place for reasons yet unknown to us. We have no complaint against PSML. We are working with the company to ensure all sections of the plant become fully operational towards revamping the economic milieu of the local environment. Nobody should drag Udu Community leaders into any form of war with PSML as all we want is a full restoration of DSC old glory’’, the community leaders added.
The statement further called on members of the public to disregard the ‘’campaigns of calumny and petty corporate politics being played by some dubious and yet to be identified personalities, wickedly dropping the names of Udu Community leaders and presidents to promote stories with libelous content, yet unauthorized by the leaders. For the umpteenth time, we make bold to say that we did not authorize any such statement against Premium Steel and we take strong exception to dropping of our names for such dubious enterprise. It beats our imagination how a credible news medium like Sahara Reporters could be lEd into such a grievous error of dropping our names and offices into a publication we knew nothing about. We are in full support of the resuscitation template approved by PSML and we solicit individual and groups support for the company to succeed’’, the statement added.
