13% Derivation: How Pa Clark’s letter to Governor Okowa vindicates GbaramatuVoice
The latest declaration by the Ijaw national leader and convener of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, that Governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, truly mismanaged the state resources, has again vindicated GbaramatuVoice Newspaper and confirmed as right the newspaper’s sustained critical stance on Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s deformed administrative style in Delta state.
Clark had in an open letter he addressed to Okowa, which he read to journalists in Abuja on Thursday, alleged that the 13 percent derivation funds received by the state government were mismanaged and vowed to drag the governor to court as soon as his tenure ends on May 29 this year, if he fails to give details account to the people of the state.
While noting with concern that the projects so far executed in the state by the Governor had not justified the amount of money that had accrued to the state from the derivation funds. Clark accused the governor of establishing major institutions in his village at the detriment of the real oil producing communities which were being denied necessary development. He concluded that the governor was spending the state funds with impunity because residents were scared of him.
Recall that GbaramatuVoice had earlier while amplifying Okowa’s ineptitude, lack of vision and craps mismanagement of resources, mal-administration and dearth of leadership in the state, GbaramatuVoice had in two different but related editorial commentaries underlined opaque financial transactions in the state.
Find links to the referenced editorial comments by GbaramatuVoice: Decay at DESOPADEC: A prophesy foretold by GbaramatuVoice
The newspaper was particularly happy that the elder stateman did not depart from the newspaper’s position on Governor Okowa’s failures and inadequacies.
Like Chief Clark, GbaramatuVoice in one of the referenced commentaries, asked Governor how much did the state allocate to the Delta state Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC)? If DESOPADEC is in possession of such an amount, why has the board failed to pay the indigenous contractors? How come the Governor Okowa led administration still owes pensioners in the state in the face of this huge sum received? Why is the state unable to subsidize education in its tertiary institutions where school fees have skyrocketed beyond the reach of students of poor parents?
Why is the state still in the habit of borrowing despite this quantum sum received? How do we reconcile the fact that the state is in possession of the said sum, yet, the majority of towns and villages, particularly in the coastal areas cannot boast of passable internal roads? Who is the real enemy of Delta state: Governor Okowa or Federal Government?
Without doubt, there is need for Okowa to urgently apologize to Deltans as demanded by Chief Clark. However, GbaramatuVoice holds the opinion that, it will do greater good for greater number of Deltans if he (Okowa) first provide answer(s) to the above questions, as it will in the interim assist in resolving leadership challenge in the state.
Deltans have been told in the time past that it is not possible to hold their government accountable because there are more important matters confronting the state.
But, the truth is that if they (Deltans) falls into that trap and allow Okowa to go with neither apology nor explanation, the incoming administration will see nothing wrong for an administration to involve in opaque financial transactions lacking in human face and take decisions that are not people or development focused.
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