Gov Okowa Signs Water Bill, Others Into Law

Okonta Emeka Okelum, Asaba

 Senator Doctor Ifeanyi Okowa, Delta State governor, has signed water bill and other five bills into law on Thursday.

One of which is 'bill to provide for the Establishment of the Delta State Urban Water Corporation, Small Town Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, The Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, The State Water Sector Regulatory Commission'.

Other bills included’ the Warri/Uvwie and Environs Special Area Development Agency Bill.

Other bills he also signed into law were "Bill to Regulate the Registration, Establishment, Operations, Conduct, Monitoring and Inspection of Private Health Care Facilities in Delta State and other matters incidental thereto; Bill to Amend Delta State Capital Territory Development Agency; Bill to provide for the Audit of Public Accounts of the state Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Local Governments and other Matters Connected therewith; and the Bill to Establish the Customary Courts and to provide for the Composition and Appointment of Chairman and Members, Structure and Administration, Jurisdiction and other Matters Connected thereto".

Today, Gov Okowa said, I signed 6 Bills that were transmitted for assent by the Delta State House of Assembly. These Bills, which cover various areas of governance, will help to strengthen our great state.

Okowa, after signing the six bills into law, noted that it was the  collective responsibility of all Deltans to contribute towards building a virile state that all would be proud of.

Delta State government had entered into a four-year deal with the United States Agency International Development (USAID) on Effective Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Services (E-WASH) programme.

The General Manager, Delta State Urban Water Board (DSUWB), Chief Nosakare Okoh, while addressing newsmen noted the import of the recent development in the water and sanitation sector.

The new water regime in the state is a welcomed development as we are now partnering with USAID to properly improve on the 216 water schemes located in 10 zones in the state.

 A very positive way forward on how we will be engaging the consumers and doing business differently henceforth in the state, the general manager said.

The presence of USAID experts is encouraging as the programme is to reposition the board, knowing that it will become more viable and professionally managed in such a way that we can serve Deltans better, and also generate revenue for the state.

They will be helping us in terms of capacity building, institutionally reposition the emerging water corporate properly and keep us on track with the world best practices in water and sanitation sector, so that we can be at par with other developed world, Chief Nosakare Okoh declared.

Gov Okowa also commended the Delta State House of Assembly for being great partners in his administration’s efforts to develop the state, even as he explained the importance of the bills, praising the Delta State House of Assembly.

Earlier, the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Chief Sheriff Oborevwori, said the legislators had enjoyed cooperation of the executive which had led to passing of the bills for the development and advancement of Delta state.

He said the bills which were presented to the governor for assent passed through a rigorous legislative processes and assured Deltans that more laws will be passed by the House before the end of the first tenure.

SOURCE: ASABA POST NEWS WIRE (ONLINE)

No Clean Water For Over 57 Million Nigerians....Study

Okonta Emeka Okelum, Asaba

A recent research work has unveiled the huge gaps and challenges Nigerians suffer with the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) service sector.

The agency in its report maintained that out of 200 million Nigerians, over 57 million Nigerians do not have access to clean water, while 130 million Nigerians do not have access to basic sanitation.

The findings were contained in a fact sheet made available to journalists today during a media  roundtable meeting held at Asaba.

The media roundtable meeting funded and organized by United States Agency for International Development (USAID), had journalists drawn from the print, electronic, broadcast and online media platforms participated.

USAID's research work centered around Effective Water, Sanitation, And Hygiene (E-WASH) was designed and implemented to 'ensure access to sustainable urban water and sanitation services through improved governance and accountability.

Findings from the study also unveiled some retrogress trends over some period, say between 1990 through 2015.

The study shows that acess to improved water at the national level increased, but same access to piped water in urban areas declined.

In 1990, access to piped water in urban areas was at an all high rate of 32%, while it fell drastically low to 10% in 2015.

Access to improved sanitation in 1990 stood at 38% and crashed downwards to 29% in 2015.

The study cited accelerated urbanization, poor cost recovery, complex governance system and poor institutional framework as factors responsible for the decline in access to water & improved sanitation services.

The above factors adversely affect Nigerian citizen's health, their access to educational/economic opportunities, their work efficiency and labour productivity, the study further stated.

Aim of USAID's E-WASH program in Nigeria is geared towards improved availability of clean water, improved sanitation within the nation's vulnerable urban cities.

The E-WASH, a 4 years program is implemented in six states of Abia, Delta, Imo, Niger, Sokoto and Taraba States and aims to provide more access to basic drinking water supplies to more than 500,000 households in these six states.


SOURCE: ASABA POST NEWS WIRE (ONLINE)

Corruption: Councillor Raises Red Flag

* Unveil How Council Boss Misappropriated Millions Under His Watch
* All Looted Funds Must Be Recovered And Returned To Council Purse, Councillor Vowed.

Okonta Emeka Okelum, Asaba

Transparency and accountability is the hallmark of all democratic cultures, remove them from governance, the people, environment, sustainable development, peace and security suffers.

Hon Peter Chukwuemeka Nwosa in an exclusive media chat with Asaba Post News Wire Online waved the red flag about corruption tendencies trending at Oshimili South Council running into millions of Naira.

Hon Nwosa, until last week was the house leader, Oshimili South legislative arm, whose leadership was hell bent on tracking and monitoring many irregularities embedded in the income and expenditure records, the Oshimili South LGA Executive Chairman, Hon Comrade Uche Osadebe brought before his leadership at the council's legislative arm.

It will be recalled that the saying which goes forth in Nigeria, has it that "if you fight corruption, corruption will fight back" held sway in Oshimili South LGA and Hon Peter Chukwuemeka Nwosa is fighting that struggle with all its attendant consequencies.

Reacting sharply to a recent media publicity against his credibility and personality, Hon Nwosa discredited the pubilication as a product of mischief makers and those whose sole aim is attempts at discrediting credibility he counsciously built over the years.

Their sole aim is a target at my position as the house leader, Oshimili South Legislative arm, all around me knows that i am never power drunk.

If leaving my position as house leader will eventually bring lasting transparency and accountability regime in Oshimili South Council, like i had laid the foundation, then i will remain a happy man for the rest of my life.

In the said publication, it was alleged that i ruled with some high handedness, i just dont get it, within the period i was house leader, i still have all my votes and proceedings.

My enemies claimed i made rooms for finiancial recklessness, as a house leader, i never appropriated funds, so where did i misappropriated funds, instead i used my contacts to mobilize funds, with which the legislative complex was renovated with, so where did i misappropriated fund.

Rather, i used my networth to impact positively on the council's legislature, Hon Nwosa pointed out.

My people voted me to positively represent them at the legislative arm, am fully committed at doing that, am surprised that my fellow councillors who are supposed to join me at fighting council's fund looters, instead they are fighting me and celebrating with looters of our council's treasury.

So for a paltry N3 million, my fellow law makers sold out on me and the struggle for transparency and accountability, why will they be so cheap before the council's executive chairman, just to perfect the neferious act of that illegal impeachment, they brought themselves too low to the point of collecting only N3 million from the council chairman.

Indeed, Hon Oburota is treacheous and a power drunk fellow, am totally disappointed with him, Hon Nwosa lamented.

I am shocked that Hon Oburota Micheal Chinedu, for being too petty and desperate as to collect mere N3 million, just to cease my position, not minding the anti corruption struggles i initiated with him and other councillors, Hon Nwosa said.

He also shared with our reporter issues he found not comfortable with.

Hon Comrade Uche Osadebe lied under oath, the income and expenditure analysis document he presented to Oshimili South Legislative Arm under my leadership is completely different from what he presented to Delta State House of Assembly's public accounts committee.

Till date there are no constituency projects ever implemented at the ward level by any councillor, no councillor nor council staff had received any imprest despite all the funds in the council's purse.

The council's infrastructures are rapidly delapidating, with zero intentions at reparing them, Hon Nwosa decried.

He also shared "instead of my fellow councillors to look into the income and expenditure documents brougth before them by the council chairman, they are busy chasing shadows in the name of some illegal impeachment exercises"

I dont get it when i hear the council chairman publicly claim that he runs the council with his personal money, so what had happened to all the federal allocations and internally generated revenue that entered into the council's accounts.

The council chairman has zero respect concerning the council's  public governance system, he had never submitted the annual budget on time.

He is happy about the current mess our council is in right now as well as shame the legislative arm is into now, he is happy that they are dead now, which is his ultimate target, i see him as an unrepented sinner, all his assurance to Hon Oburota about increased preparedness to be open, accountable and transparent is false, Hon Nwosa insisted.

I refuse to become a rubber stamp house leader at the palms of the council chairman.

Posterity will judge us, i stand for what is right for the general good of my people always, that is why my people sent me to represent them at the legislative arm.

Do you know that no councilor knew, who the newly install  Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) consultant is.

The council chairman runs the council as his private estate, he has no respect for even the state governor, who had settled all differences in March this year, Hon Nwosa said.

If he knows that the illegal impeachment was right, why did he import heavily armed security opperatives to guard the council premises last Thursday, when he presented to the legislaltive arm his 2019 budget proposal documents.

You see, I cease this opportunity to tell them that they are only doing unpaid advert and image promotion for me, surly, I will overcome all of them, Hon Nwosa assured his admirers.

Of all that left Hon Nwosa bitter about Hon Uche Osadebe, nothing was more disturbing like what Hon Nwosa discribed as the council chairman's reckless misapproriation of tax payers's fund.

According to Hon Nwosa, between the period of January 2018 through March 2019, millions of Naira vanished without trace.

Within the period under review, the council chairman in his income and expenditure records made available to my leadership as house leader, claimed he spent N11,853,100 on travels and transport, which is of zero benefit to the council, not even one investment had the said trips attracted to Oshimilli South LGA, Hon Nwosa pointed out.

N51,756,075 was recorded as miscellenous cost, cost incurred without a single dime spent on any capital project within the council area.

His records also demonstrated that under same period, the council chairman also spent N24,890,000 on other services not specified, which is another miscellenous cost in nature, the law maker unveiled.

Under same period, N16,615,375 was cost incurred on unverifiable hotel costs for himself and to some supervisory councilors, far beyond what is due them.

The council chairman pocketed N6,200,000 for security meeting after collecting his statotory monthly security votes, Hon Nwosa stressed.

The legislative arm's request for N500,000 to procure the services of lawyers who will assist us to redraft our bye laws, which are almost obsolet fell on chairman' deaf ears, Hon Nwosa lamented.

As we speak now, over N100 million had disappered from the council's purse, as contained in the Income and Expenditure document, the chairman presented to the legislature, Hon Nwosa noted.

With all these capital flight, are we not supposed to had put on ground some major capital projects for our people? Hon Nwosa queried.

Impeachment or no impeachment, i am still a councillor duely elected by my people to actively represent them and that i have vowed to do and do very well.

I will never disappoint my ward members, our party members and the good people of Oshimili South LGA, their money must be accounted for.

All embezzelled funds must be recovered and returned to the council purse for pro poor people's development needs, Hon Nwosa assured Oshimili South electorates.

SOURCE: ASABA POST NEWS WIRE (ONLINE)