The dispute between the Delta State Government and the Senator Representing Delta North Senatorial District at the National National Assembly, Senator Ned Nwoko, on alleged abandoned critical infrastructure projects in the constituency has remained unresolved.
A pro-Nwoko group, Ndokwa Progressive Youths Assembly, NPYA, in a statement on Sunday, reacted to the shield put up by the state commissioner for finance, Chief Okenmor Tilije, saying his defence of Governor Sheriff Oborevwere’s disdain for Ndokwa/Ukwuani federal constituency were not true.
In their reaction titled Únveiling the Lies In The Official Statement Of Delta State Government, NPYA expressed worries seeing their highly respected Ndokwa son rush to the media to defend the Governor and Government of Delta state for intentionally under developing his own Ndokwa nation in particular and Delta North in general.
It reads in part: “It is now getting crystal clear to everyone that the Delta state Government is very determined in its quest to perpetually under-develop Ndokwa land. Firstly, on the issue of Delta State debt, we challenge the Delta State Commissioner for Finance and Delta Government to make public each borrowing they made and the project that each borrowing is attached to.
“Secondly, we want a detailed profile of the developmental project that the Delta State Government has borrowed money to execute in Ndokwa land and the amount that was borrowed”, they stated.
On the issue of the inability of state government to fix federal roads within the state, they wondered, “Why the Commissioner For Finance could say such to the public, knowing fully well that (former) Gov Okowa did the resurfacing of the Eku-Umutu road under his administration, wherein the same Chief Fidelis Tilije served as a Commissioner of Finance.
“On the personal discussion between Senator Ned Nwoko and Governor Sheriff, we are fully aware that the Senator hosted Governor Sheriff at his personal residence in Maitama, Abuja, where various discussions were held; or could Sir Tilije Fidelis claim to be in the know of all the varying discussions that could have happened there?
“How Senator Nwoko came up with the amount for the Okpai IPP stepdown? This is very simple for a financial expert to know that such a quotation can be gotten from the Federal Ministry of Power, the Transmission Commission of Nigeria, and other relevant agencies of the Federal Government, including the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE).
“We challenge the Delta State Commissioner for Finance to make public the amount of money Delta State Government spent in settling the (alleged) land owners in Okpai and Utagba-Ogbe clans for the two stepdown sites and rights of way (ROW) of the contentious Okpai Power Plant,” they further contended.
On a final note, they insisted that the Delta State Government, with Sir Tilije serving as Commissioner for Finance, paid for the land compensation for the two stepdown sites in Okpai and Utagba-Ogbe.
“At the Ogwashi Uku dam, you will see clearly the position of the Federal Government in the official letter from the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation to Senator Ned Nwoko, which was duly signed by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry in response to the inquiries made by the Senator to the ministry.
“From the letter attached to this article, they contended that the Federal Government had completed their own part of work. What is remaining is for the state to build the water treatment plant and do the piping to homes and farms.
“On more inquiry, it might interest Delta Northerners to know that the Ogwashi Uku dam as designed by the Federal Government has three functions, which are for: good treated water for household use, irrigation for farms, and power generation.
“But despite the push by our own elected Senator and open confrontation with the current Governor Sherriff and his predecessor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, at the recent PDP caucus, coupled with the massive FGN allocation, they keep saying that there is no money for a dam that will serve over 70 communities in Delta State. But there is money for multi-billion naira projects in other Senatorial Districts of Delta State,” they informed.
