New Avengers: Otuaro Commends group for shelving strike

Delta State Acting Governor, Barr. Kingsley Burutu Otuaro has commended the New Delta Avengers for heeding the call by elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark to shelve its planned “Operation Cripple Delta Oil.”

Otuaro, who chairs the Delta State Advocacy Committee Against Oil Facility Vandalism, had appealed to the Avengers to resort to dialogue in place of violence which he said would only deplete state resources for the development of the oil bearing communities they claimed to be fighting for.

Reacting to the Avengers warning that the Delta State Government should take advantage of the ceasefire to resolve issues of their agitation, Otuaro, addressing newsmen in Warri, weekend, insisted that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa was committed to development of oil bearing communities as the entire state.

He said, “As a state government, we have insisted over time that we will not hide under a national economic recession to abandon our development agenda for the entire state. We will continue to do our best and I insist that the results of our commitment to development of oil bearing communities will soon find expression in commissioning of approved projects in the area.”

On the alleged frustration of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) by the Delta State Government, the Acting Governor further said: “Governor Ifeanyi Okowa who restructured DESOPADEC via a law, intent on better service delivery and accountability, cannot turn around to frustrate it, knowing he would incur the wrath of oil bearing communities”.

Otuaro said instead of oil facility vandalism that will throw the state back to biting recession, there was need to attract and retain funds and maintain security for ongoing development projects in oil bearing communities.

He added, “I thank and appeal to the Avengers to consummate the dialogue process for peace. We call for embrace of our hands of fellowship in the development of the state”.