Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

Deltans suffering under Okowa, says senator

By Chido Okafor, Warri
16 October 2017   |   3:45 am
Senator Obaisi Ovie Omo-Agege at the weekend in his home town, Orogun, criticised the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa urging him to explain what he had done with the fiscal allocation to the Delta State since May 2015.

Senator Obaisi Ovie Omo-Agege. PHOTO: Asaba Metro

Senator Obaisi Ovie Omo-Agege at the weekend in his home town, Orogun, criticised the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa urging him to explain what he had done with the fiscal allocation to the Delta State since May 2015.

He said there was a general disdain across the state for the Okowa administration as salaries of teachers, local council workers, government employees, retirees and others are not paid and that there are no praiseworthy projects ongoing that may have gulped the monies.

He stressed in spite of the ‘hunger’ in the state, government had refused to heed calls to ameliorate the hardship being experienced by Deltans but had instead resorted to personal attacks on critics of the administration.

The senator also lampooned the state house of assembly, which he branded ‘a rubber stamp’ for allegedly handing Okowa a blank budget, saying the lawmakers prefer to be Okowa’s errand boys than defend the interest of the people they are representing.

Omo-Agege said: “Governor Okowa Ifeanyi Okowa has failed the people of Delta State. Okowa has mismanaged funds from the monthly federal allocation. APC will chase Okowa out of office come 2019 with a credible and God-fearing Deltan who will correct the abnormalities created by Okowa. Deltans should ask Okowa how he spent the billions of naira of monthly allocation from federal allocation.

“Where is DESOPADFEC 13% of the 50% monthly derivation for the agency as approved by law? Nothing is happening in the state, Okowa has run the once viable institution dry and nobody hears about DESOPADEC in the state anymore. Okowa has not been utilizing the funds that are coming to DESOPADEC. There is acute hunger in the state, the administration of Okowa cannot pay civil servants, especially pensioners.

“The civil servants and pensioners are suffering and dying out of frustration and agony. APC will come to rescue Deltans in 2019 with a tested, proven and credible person to correct the wrongs done by PDP-led administration in the state. The Okowa government failed to address the allegation of the 2017 Delta government blank budget raised by Dr. Cairo Ojougboh and instead resorted to insults.” Omo-Agege said.

On the growing calls for political; reconfiguration of the country, the senator said he supports a holistic restructuring in the country where each region is given autonomy to supervise and control its resources and pays percentage to the central government.

He, however, disagreed with the demand for the creation of state police. He argued that state police would be used by few influential persons against the weak in the society as it is already experienced in various existing vigilance units in the country.

He listed his achievement in the Senate to include sponsoring 10 major bills passed by both chambers. The notable ones, according to the senator, were the bill for an act to prohibit sexual harassment in educational institutions and the bill for an act to establish the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FURPRE), Effurun among others.

0 Comments