Landlords threaten to evict DESOPADEC workers over alleged N5 billion rent

Landlords of offices rented by the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) located in five ethnic groups headquarters, have threatened to evict workers over alleged N5 billion unpaid rent.

While the aggrieved landlords sought the help of the State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, to prevail on the commission to pay its rents, it was reliably gathered that the commission had in the past three years owed rents with no hope in sight for payments.

One of the landlords in Ndokwa axis, Chief Nze Okolobi, who spoke with our reporter on telephone, said several efforts had been made by the landlords to get paid as the commission officials bitterly complained of being cash strapped.

In a letter to the commission, signed by Elder Godswill Oke, Mr. Joseph Oboreh and Chief Otoworh, they threatened to evict the commission’s workers if it failed to pay its rents on or before May ending.

“We landlords met recently in Ozoro and wrote a letter to the Commission’s Managing Director two months ago with no response.” The money was alleged to have been paid to the commission by the state government long ago.

But in a swift reaction, the Managing Director, Dr. Williams Makinde, said no money had been paid to the commission, adding that “we run an open-door administration, if the money is paid, it will not been hidden, in fact, such money has not been paid to the commission.”