New Delta Avenger, NDA, a new coalition of ex-militants from
the oil producing areas of Delta State, yesterday, called on Governor Ifeanyi
Okowa to give account of the 13 per cent derivation he received from the
Federation Account in the last two years and what went to the oil producing
communicates, especially the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development
Commission, DESOPADEC.
The group, which threatened, last week, to resume fresh
hostilities in the state from June 30, had accused Governor Okowa of allegedly
marginalising the oil producing areas of the state. Spokesperson of the
militant group, self-styled Cpl Olleum Bellum, in a statement, said: “If you
see the allocations for states that were released by Ministry of Finance today
(yesterday), you will see that Delta State and Okowa were paid
N4,747,930,884.16 billion for February and DESOPADEC is supposed to get half of
that money, but we know that nothing was paid to DESOPADEC.
“We also call on President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice
President, Prof Yemi Osibanjo to pay 13 per cent money direct to oil
communities. We want to control our resources in Delta because government has
failed us. This may become another frontier in the war against operation in the
Niger Delta,” the group said.
The militant group demanded the names and physical locations
of the projects the State Government claimed to have spread in oil communities
in Ija, Isoko, Ijaw, Isoko, Ndokwa and Urhobo communities. It said, “But we
have to inform you today that the hour is near. We said before that we will
commence our operation on the end of month, that we can move the date forward. New
Delta Avenger command is now ready. We have sent all our boys and materials to
the location we are target (sic) and we have also put the government on notice
about our action. We are not cowards, we do not hide under the shadow to
operate.”
“Let the governor wake up from his slumber and come to term
with his vicious acts towards our communities. He cannot wash away the truth.
He has not done anything to benefit the oil communities from Ndokwa to Koko to
Forcados.
“We said he is robbing Peter to pay Paul and we stand by
this. Let him release the fact on the fund that he had given to DESOPADEC. Why
is he not publishing accounts of the state allocation, internally generated
revenue, IGR and other revenues and what he has done with them like his
colleagues in other states are doing.
“Even projects that were begun before the Okowa government
by DESOPADEC have all halted because the money is being siphoned,” NDA said.
•Text courtesy of Vanguard.
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