Bail out Funds: Delta Never Withheld Nor Diverted Funds

The attention of Delta State Government has been drawn to a news report published on pages three and nine of the Nation Newspaper of Saturday “April 23,  2016  edition titled: “How States spent Their Bail-out Funds”.  We thereby wish to state, as follows;
1. The state government received the sum of N10,936,799.36 as bailout funds for salaries on 21/9/2015.

2. Following the monitoring of the utilization of funds by the Independent Corrupt Practices And Other Related Offences Commission(ICPC), the state received a letter dated 12/10/2015 with a questionnaire attached requesting for details of funds utilized.  In the response to the ICPC dated 15/10/2015, the state declared that the sum of N8,129,888,279.86 was expended with a balance of N2,806,911,019.50.

3. The balance of N2, 806,911,019.50 as at 31/12/2015 has been applied as follows:
(a) N2, 000, 000, 000 to the State Pension Bureau to reduce the state's  liability to pensioners.

(b) The sum of N806,911,019.50 was used for the payment of Primary  school teachers’ salaries.

4. It is pertinent to note that since January, 2016, the state has not received any request of update on the position of the disbursement of funds from the ICPC.

5. It is therefore necessary to state that the aforementioned newspaper report was based on a stale update.

I HAVE NO PLAN TO RESIGN

His Excellency Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa and Honorable Commissioner for Information Delta State, Honorable Patrick Ukah

Our attention has been drawn to a mischievous publication by Sahara Reporters to the effect that the Honourable Commissioner for Information in Delta State, Patrick Ukah threatened to resign his appointment because of what it claimed was the Commissioner’s grouse with, “Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s decision to split the ministry.”

Much as we don’t usually dignify this type of obvious yellow journalism with a response, we would like to make the following clarifications in order to disabuse the mind of the unsuspecting reading public and the friends and associates of the Commissioner who have besieged his office with calls since the report was published.

The entire report is baseless, unfounded and tendentious. The story exists only in the figment of the imagination of Sahara Reporters, a medium very well known for its brand of terrorism journalism which it dubs as “citizens journalism”, whatever that means.

In the first place, the Ministry of Information has not been split into two, and as such no new ministry has been created. The Governor just recently approved the creation of a Directorate of Orientation out of the Department of Orientation in the Ministry to be headed by his Senior Special Assistant, Orientation and Social Mobilisation now renamed Executive Assistant.

Secondly, the moving of the ICT Department and Website to the Government House had occurred before Hon. Ukah was appointed Commissioner in charge of the Ministry. And we all know the proximity and interdependency of the website and the ICT Department. That the two are housed in the same place was to ensure efficiency in their operations and engender better coordination.

In the light of the foregoing, Hon. Ukah could not have contemplated, let alone threaten, resignation. It is, therefore, clear that the report by Sahara Reporters is calculated to cause mischief and disaffection in the Government of Delta State.

Hon Ukah, for the avoidance of doubt, enjoys a good working relationship with His Excellency, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, and is irrevocably committed to helping the Governor achieve his goal of prosperity for all Deltans.

Signed

Sam Ijeh

Media Assistant

Honourable Commissioner for Information

Delta State.

Delta State approves 8.5MW IPP

On the 19^th of this month after the state executive council meeting presided over by His Excellency Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, I and my colleagues (Honorable Commissioner for Works, Honorable Commissioner for Higher Education & Honorable Commissioner for Power) briefed journalists on the EXCO approval to develop an Integrated Power Plant project in Asaba through PPP to generate 8.5 megawatts to power government establishments, estates and infrastructure. 

The project is in fulfillment of the SMART agenda and would be developed in conjunction with Bastan Cherry Power Solutions Limited to improve power supply in Asaba and environs. The government would only provide guarantee to utilize the 8.5MVA generated for a period of ten years, and the project will generate jobs for the youths, reduce electricity tariffs paid by government and in turn improved electric supply in Asaba.

We also approved the appointment of a Zopac Consulting Limited on Revenue Cycle Management and Consultancy Services (RCMCS) to help block existing loopholes in revenue collection.

Other decisions reached are;

1.       Public Private Partnership for hostel development in the state owned tertiary institutions
2.       Construction/Rehabilitation of the 5.12km Edgborode –Elume Road
3.       Construction of Kwale Township Roads and Drainage in Sapele and Ndokwa West Local Government areas respectively
4.       Infrastructural development and supply of furniture to some selected schools in the state

STEP graduates 3rd set of trainees

3rd set graduates of the Delta State STEP program 

On the 18^th of this month, the 3^rd set of the State Training and Entrepreneurship Programme (STEP) graduated. A total of 540 trainees under four different categories (fashion designers and tailoring, computer hardware repairs, and electrical installations and repairs) graduated after a 6 months training program, and they were all empowered with a starter pack to enable them start up their business immediately .

Delta State Signs MoU on Infrastrural Development

His Excellency Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa and Mr Wu Guo Qi

On the 18^th of this month, we took a forward step towards boosting infrastructural drive in Delta state by entering a Memorandum Of Understanding with North China Construction Company. The MOU was signed by the Secretary to the State Government and the Honorable Commissioner for Finance on behalf of the state government, and Mr Wu Guo Qi on behalf of North China Construction Company, and was witnessed by His Excellency Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa and some members of the executive council.

Mr Wu Guo Qi pointed out that they have earmarked over $30m for infrastructural development in Delta state in line with China’s policy of encouraging infrastructural development in Nigeria. The MoU is aimed at a long term strategic partnership with the state to develop key infrastructural and skill/technology acquisition including;

1.       Design, sand filling and provision of infrastructure in the new city on the banks of river Niger

2.        Design and construction of world class government offices

3.       Erosion control and construction of drains

4.       Renewable energy

5.       Waste to wealth

6.       Urban renewal and upgrading of infrastructure including roads, water resources and hospitals

In this present economic downturn, partnership with companies with requisite technical and financial capacity to deliver quality projects is key to achieving the agenda of this government.

ACI Holdings opens new office building

Honorable commissioner for Information Delta State, Mr Patrick Ukah representing His Excellency Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa 

On the 15^th of this month, I represented His Excellency Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa at the blessing and official commissioning of the new ACI Holdings office building at creek road Apapa Lagos.

Honorable Commissioner for Information Delta State, Mr. Patrick Ukah, who represented Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Rev. Father Osbert Egbe of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Creek Road, Apapa and the Executive Vice Chairman of ACI Holdings, Mr Andy Isichei

Okowa inaugurates DESTMA

His Excellency Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa during the inauguration of DESTMA

On the 14th of this month, His Excellency Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa inaugurated the Delta State Traffic Management Agency (DESTMA) with a charge to improve traffic compliance, safe and incident free transportation on our roads. All over the world, the growth of urbanization has created overcrowded cities leading to increasing traffic congestion and other anti-social behavior on the roads, most countries in the world have also put in place traffic management measures to improve compliance with traffic rules and regulations, ensure free flow of traffic and promote safe mobility

The objectives of DESTMA include;

1.  Traffic control
2.  Incident management
3.  Efficient control and management of heavy duty vehicles
4. Driver support and monitoring
5. Dissemination of safety related materials

The pioneer DESTMA staff just complete a 8 day induction course, and they are to commence operations in three stations - Asaba, Warri/Effurun, and Ughelli.