Former Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa
By Our Reporter
The Oil-Producing Communities in Delta State have asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate the immediate past governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa on how he spent the 13 percent derivation fund.
The oil producing communities In a statement issued by the National Chairman of the Oil Producing Areas Association of Nigeria (OPAAN), Chief Obiuwevbi Ominimini, said “It is very disheartening and callous to note that despite the copious and unambiguous provisions of Section 162 (2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Section 13 (1) of the DESOPADEC Law of 2006 (as amended), 2007, 2015 and 2018 respectively, Okowa has deliberately and flagrantly abused, violated and breached the above provisions of the law and had continued to misappropriate the said funds for his personal use at the expense of the suffering people of the Oil and Gas Producing Communities in Delta State.
“It is very nauseating that despite the stupendous billions of naira being paid to the Delta State Government from the 13 per cent oil derivation fund from the Federation Account, the Oil Producing Areas/Communities continue to wallow in abject poverty with no commensurate social amenities and infrastructures in place”.
Finally, we will want the EFCC to bring all those concerned to book in other to avoid serious crisis in the Niger Delta which may affect the production of oil.
God bless Delta State and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria”
The oil producing communities are also demanding accountability from former Governor, regarding the 13% derivation fund received from the federal government.
The request came after the confirmation by the accountant general of the federation of the payment of the shares of Delta State.
According to the group, Governor Okowa had not been accustomed to criticisms.
“Throughout his eight-year tenure, he was surrounded by individuals singing his praises, who were paid with state resources.
“He held a position of authority akin to that of an emperor, seemingly conquering the entire Delta State.
“However, the oil producing communities of Delta State are pleased that he was unable to overpower Pa Clark, the influential figure in the Niger Delta and Nigeria.
“The delay in Pa Clark’s retirement is seen as a sign that he still has battles to fight, particularly in liberating the people from exploitation and oppression by those in power.”
The group further stated that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa had been facing scrutiny in recent days as he tried to justify how he spent the 13% derivation funds allocated to DESOPADEC during his tenure in office.
“Unfortunately, his attempts only serve to expose himself further, as Governor Okowa has a track record of lying without any sense of conscience”.
The group’s statement reads in extenso:
WE DEMAND SENATOR (DR.) IFEANYI OKOWA TO ACCOUNT FOR THE 13% DERIVATION FUND HE RECEIVED FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AS CONFIRMED BY THE ACCOUNTANT GENERAL OF THE FEDERATION.
For Okowa and his cohorts to insinuate that Pa Clark is being used by people to attack him is ridiculous, insulting to say the least. Okowa is not used to criticism. For 8 years, he was surrounded by praise singers under his payroll with state resources. He was like an emperor who conquered the whole of Delta state. But we the people of the oil producing communities of Delta state are happy that he was not able to conquer Pa Clark, the Iroko of the Niger Delta and Nigeria who the almighty God has graciously delayed his boarding pass because he still has battles like this to fight to liberate the people from exploitation and oppression by those in authority.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, has been labouring in the past few days to justify his expenditure of the 13% derivation accrued to DESOPADEC in his tenure in office. The more he tried the more he exposed himself because Governor Ifeanyi Okowa lies without any conscience. Pa Clark did not accuse Governor Okowa of not doing anything with the monies he received from FAAC, Ecological fund, IGR, Paris Club refunds, Grants and other funds during his tenure in office. He was asked to account for how he spent/squandered the 13% derivation fund due to DESOPADEC during his tenure in office. The question is did Okowa give to DESOPADEC what is due to it according to the state law establishing DESOPADEC as amended by Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa? He made sure he inaugurated the new DESOPADEC board 3 days before he left office. That means there is something about DESOPADEC to Okowa; was he trying to put his men there to protect him?
To Okowa, he seems to have developed the Oil Producing Areas of Delta State and listed a number of projects in each Oil Producing Areas. He claimed that he established three new Universities in Delta State which is a record according to him in Nigeria. The three Universities established by Okowa are;
1. Denis Osadebe University
2. Delta State University, Ozoro
3. University of Delta, Agbor
The University of Delta, Agbor is an upgrade of the former College of Education, Agbor. So, the Agbor people were happy that a University is coming to their town, and whereas, Agbor is in Ika South. When the University was established, the people thought all the Faculties were in Agbor, and that was why they were jubilating. As a shocker to them, four Faculties were taken to Owa in Ika North-East, the Local Government Area and Kingdom of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.
The Faculties are;
(1) Engineering
(2) Environmental Science
(3) Law and
(4) Management and Social Science
These ones have developed staff quarters and hostels. There are no staff quarters and hostel in Agbor. All the Faculties in Owa are fully developed. The Engineering Faculty has engulfed above ₦4 billion on equipments alone. While this is happening, neither one Faculty nor hostel has been built in Delta State University, Ozoro.
The College of Medicine is expected to be built in Agbor, but it is now taken to Owa. The Hospital in Owa is developed to the state of the Art level because of College of Medicine. Even the Faculty of Science Agbor; part of it is in Owa because the first year students will not come down to Agbor to take some Science courses.
Denis Osadebe University
The two Faculties of Agriculture and Environmental Science; the structures there were the ones that were started when it was under Abraka. In other words, no new structure was built in the University.
Engineering Faculty in Oleh
The Faculty of Engineering in Oleh has been abandoned for eight years. It has not been concluded; the contract was given to Frank Chukkas from Umunede in Ika North-East by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.
Faculty of Law
There is no real structure in the faculty of Law in Oleh and also in Anwai so that the one in his village will be patronised.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa claimed that he had built about 2000km of roads in the past eight years in Delta state. While we did not believe his claim however, most of the roads are in Delta North, particularly, in Owa-Oyibo and Owa-Alero, where some of these roads were deliberately built into the bush on the ground that future building in those places will not require a new roads. That was the reason he arrogantly told his principal, former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, when he visited his village to inspect some projects that his village has now grown into a township.
We will like to debunk the false and criminal assertion by Governor Okowa’s former Chief Press Secretary who later became Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu on Arise TV interview that the 13% derivation fund provided for in section 162 (2) of the 1999 Constitution as amended is not meant only for the Oil Producing Communities but for the development of the whole state. Is it not ridiculous that he contradict himself on what the 13% derivation fund is meant for when he amended the law of DESOPADEC to include Ika, his ethnic nationality in the amended law in order to attract funds for the development of his own area? He did not include the remaining other ethnic nationalities and local government including Anioma South, Anioma North, Oshimili South and Oshimili North because they are not producing oil.
The DESOPADEC LAW which we repeat he amended twice in 2015 and 2019 contained the following extracts reproduced hereunder;
(2) The enactment of DESOPADEC Law in 2006 by former Governor James Ibori in August 2006, mentioned only the oil producing communities commission means the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission established by section 3 of this law.
(4) Communities mean oil and gas producing communities.
(5) Ethnic Nationalities means the Ijaws, Itsekiris, Urhobos, Isokos and Ndokwas from Delta State
(6) Impacted community means any community that is situated within 5 Kilometre square diameter to any oil and gas exploring, producing and processing facility.
(7) Oil producing Areas means oil and gas producing and impacted communities in the state
PART II: Establishment and composition of the Commission.
(3) (i) there is hereby established a body to be known as the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (in this law referred to as the Commission)
(4) the commission shall consist of the Chairman, eight representatives of the oil producing areas in the state at least two per senatorial district, two (2) ex-officio members namely (a) Representative of the Ministry of Finance (b) Representative of the Ministry of Economic Planning.
(5) Members of the Commission other than the ex-officio members shall be indigenes of the oil producing areas of the state.
(6) There shall be an area office in each of the local government areas of the oil producing areas.
PART III: FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMISSION
(13) The Commission shall:
(i) Receive and administer exclusively the fifty percent (50%) of the thirteen percent (13%) Oil Derivation Fund accruing to the State 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.
PART V: FUNDS AND ACCOUNT
(19) (1) the sources of funds of the commission shall be:
(a) fifty percent (50%) of the thirteen percent (13%) Derivation Fund or any other percentage (%) approved accruing to the State from the Federation Account;
(7) The Accounts of the Commission shall be audited annually by the Auditor-general of the State and the audited report shall be submitted to the House not later than 30th June of the succeeding year.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note does not form part of the above Law, but is intended to explain it purport).
This Law repeals the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission Law, Cap.32 Laws of Delta State, 2006 and seeks to provide for an organized management and administrative structure for an effective use of the 50% or any increased percentage of the 13% Oil Derivation Fund according to Delta State Government for the purpose of tackling the under development and ecological problems which arise from the exploration and exploitation of oil minerals in the Oil and Gas Producing Areas of Delta State.
Regrettably, Governor Okowa has abandoned the Oil Producing Communities for which the 13% was made and for which the 13% was provided for in the 1999 constitution.
All responsible and patriotic Deltans is definitely angry with Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for misappropriating the 13% fund as;
1. He is unable to account for the 50% that is not allocated to the Oil Producing Communities by the DESOPADEC Law. He does not include it in any budget or supplementary budget as extra fund from the Federal Government coming from the 13% derivation payment, perhaps he treats it as part of his security vote for which he is not accountable to anybody; let Okowa say so.
2. the 50% which must be paid as stated in section 13 of the DESOPADEC Law is also kept by him where he dishes out to DESOPADEC in instalments and he recently, shamelessly confessed through his former Commissioner of Information, Charles Aniagwu on Arise TV interview, who said that; “in the course of our administration we have given to DESOPADEC over ₦208 billion in 8 years”. And again when asked what did the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa spend the remaining part of the 13% amounting to ₦1.7 trillion and he could only sighted the roads the Government had constructed with the money and most of these roads he mentioned were constructed in Governor Okowa’s zone; Delta North Senatorial zone, particularly in his twin villages of Owa-Oyibo and Owa-Alero where some of the roads where tarred to the bush for future development.
The annual budget of Delta State Government is made up of Monthly allocation from the Federal Government, Ecological fund and internal revenue which he put at ₦79 billion.
These revenues are received by the Delta State Government and are contained in both the annual and supplementary budget of the State. There is nowhere in the various Delta State Government budget where the remaining 50% of the 13% derivation fund paid by the Federal Government is spent by the Governor as part of his security fund because he is not accountable to anyone including the Delta State House of Assembly or are not even contained in the annual audit report amounting to ₦538,725,143,276.17 (five hundred and thirty eight billion, seven hundred and twenty five million, one hundred and forty three thousand, two hundred and seventy six naira seventeen kobo). The 50% which must be paid in block to DESOPADEC in accordance to section 13 of the DESOPADEC Law; he only paid over ₦208 billion for the period of 8 years, leaving a balance of about ₦330 billion. We demand from Governor Okowa an account of how he spent the remaining 50% which was not given to DESOPADEC amounting to ₦538,725,143,276.17 (five hundred and thirty eight billion, seven hundred and twenty five million, one hundred and forty three thousand, two hundred and seventy six naira seventeen kobo) and the balance of the 50% meant for DESOPADEC amounting to about ₦330 billion and the sum total of about ₦ 869,450,286,552. 08.
It should be noted that some of us from the oil producing areas of Delta State have been agitating for some years how the Governors of Delta State squandered or embezzled the 13% derivation funds without any benefit/development accruing to the oil producing communities to the extent that we have sued the Governors; Dr Uduaghan and Dr. Okowa to court asking them to account for the 13% derivation fund meant for the development of the Oil Producing Communities, and in fact, some of us have been members of DESOPADEC as Commissioners representing our Oil Producing Communities and therefore we are fully aware of the amount of money received by DESOPADEC out of the 13% derivation funds paid to Delta State Government.
Similarly in 2017, the youths under the umbrella of New Delta Avengers addressed an open letter to the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, in a publication in vanguard of June 10th 2017. The youths in the New Delta Avengers protested to the Vice President to warn Governor Okowa to account for the total amount of money he received from the Federal Government on the 13% derivation fund because there is no visible development in the oil producing areas; for example the schools are without teachers, furniture’s and structure, no health services/hospitals, no light, no clean drinking water in the areas and if nothing is done by the Government within a reasonable time they will strike in the creeks because they have sent their boys to the creek but Chief Clark also appealed to them in vanguard of June 20th 2017 and the youth agreed to suspend their actions in vanguard of 29th June 2017. Yet Governor Okowa is arrogantly lying to the whole world that there is peace in the Niger Delta because of the Development he carried out.
We are fully in support of Chief E.K. Clark’s petition to the EFCC and to show our support, representatives of the various Oil Producing Communities; the Itsekiris, Ijaws, Isokos, Ndokwas and Urhobo ethnic nationalities of the Oil Producing Areas led a protest to the headquarters of EFCC on Thursday June 22nd 2023, where we handed over a petition to EFCC which is widely reported by the media and part of the petition is reproduced hereunder;
“It is very disheartening and callous to note that despite the copious and unambiguous provisions of Section 162 (2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Section 13 (1) of the DESOPADEC Law of 2006 (as amended), 2007, 2015 and 2018 respectively, Okowa has deliberately and flagrantly abused, violated and breached the above provisions of the law and had continued to misappropriate the said funds for his personal use at the expense of the suffering people of the Oil and Gas Producing Communities in Delta State.
“It is very nauseating that despite the stupendous billions of naira being paid to the Delta State Government from the 13 per cent oil derivation fund from the Federation Account, the Oil Producing Areas/Communities continue to wallow in abject poverty with no commensurate social amenities and infrastructures in place”.
Finally, we will want the EFCC to bring all those concerned to book in other to avoid serious crisis in the Niger Delta which may affect the production of oil.
God bless Delta State and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Sign:
Chief Obiuwevbi Ominimini [National Chairman of Oil Producing Areas Association of Nigeria (OPAAN)
Prince Markpobi Okareme [Pioneer National Secretary of Traditional Ruler of Oil Minerals Producing Communities of Nigeria (TROMPCON) and Vice Chairman PANDEF Delta State)
Sir Matthew Itsekure (Itsekiri Ethnic Nationality)
Comrade Chief Sheriff Mulade (Ijaw Ethnic Nationality)
Chief Etenero John (Member Isoko Ethnic Nationality)
Hon. Mark Ikpuri (Urhobo Ethnic Nationality)
For and on behalf of the Oil Producing Communities in Delta State.
