Okowa Counters Chief Clark’s Claims, Unveils the Actual Figures for DESOPADEC’s Funding
ASABA/Nigeria: In an interview on Arise Television’s “Morning Show,” Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, the immediate past Governor of Delta State, announced that the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) received a total of N208 billion during his eight-year administration.
The former Governor spoke through Mr Charles Aniagwu, the former State Commissioner for Information, affirmed that the Okowa administration ensured fair distribution of projects across the three Senatorial Districts in the state.
Aniagwu emphasized that DESOPADEC received its rightful share according to the law that established it, with annual budgets approved by the State House of Assembly.
Aniagwu further highlighted the efforts made by the Okowa administration to establish peace in the state, particularly in oil-producing communities and the Delta creeks, by prioritizing development projects in these areas. He mentioned that under the Okowa administration, Delta State rose from the fourth to the top position in oil production due to the satisfaction of communities with the executed projects.
Addressing the remarks made by an elder statesman, Aniagwu expressed respect for the individual’s contributions to democracy and acknowledged his age of 96 years. He clarified that he did not intend to engage in a dispute and emphasized the importance of respecting the elder statesman’s recent choices. Aniagwu highlighted that the issues raised were not original to the elder statesman and, as a result, contained some inaccuracies.
Aniagwu clarified the ownership of Premium Trust Bank, stating that it does not belong to Governor Okowa. He explained that during the Okowa administration, the state-operated three separate accounts: the FAAC Account in Zenith Bank for remittances from the Federation Account and other sources, the State and Local Government Joint Account (JAAC) in UBA, and the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) Account in Sterling Bank. He emphasized that Premium Trust Bank is owned by individuals unrelated to Governor Okowa, with the Managing Director, Mr. Emefienem, hailing from Abavo in Ika South, while Governor Okowa is from Ika North-East.
Regarding the 13 percent derivation, Aniagwu corrected the elder statesman’s statement about Governor Nyesom Wike exposing the refunds to oil-producing states. He explained that Delta State Government, under Governor Okowa’s leadership, had written to the State House of Assembly seeking discounted facilities based on the said refunds. After the Federal Government acknowledged the owed funds but expressed inability to refund the entire amount at once, the decision was made to pay in installments over five years. Aniagwu clarified that the refund was made public in line with the administration’s transparency principle, similar to how no one reported that President Buhari granted N200 billion to a single state without publicizing it. He further explained that while Rivers State chose to discount the expected refund with a commercial bank, Delta State opted not to discount all the funds and decided to involve the incoming administration.
Aniagwu proudly mentioned that during the Okowa administration, the state’s internally generated revenue grew from N53 billion in 2015 to N79 billion in 2023. He clarified that this growth was achieved not by burdening the people with excessive taxes but by expanding the tax net due to the improved ease of doing business in the state.
