Okowa Begging Me To Withdraw My Petition With EFCC, But I Won’t Budge – Clark

Chief Edwin Clark, an Ijaw national leader and convener of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has revealed that former Delta state governor, Ifeanyi Okowa has been sending emissaries to him to withdraw his petition against him to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged misappropriation  the state’s derivation fund amounting to N1.760 trillion.

Clark had alleged that rather than using the money to develop the oil producing communities in Delta state, Okowa sidelined the Delta state oil producing areas development commission (DESOPADEC), an interventionist agency established to manage a 13 percent oil derivation fund to drive infrastructural development of the oil-producing communities in the state.

Speaking in an explosive interview on TVC, Clark who described Okowa as a tribalistic and nepotic leader also accused him of abandoning Warri, the commercial capital of Delta state but developing his own village Owa with the derivation fund.

Responding to the interview granted by Charles Aniagwu, the immediate past Commissioner of Information who accused him (Clark) of not having facts, the 96 year-old elder statesman said Aniagwu has put Okowa into more trouble with the accusation.

He said “This Aniagwu, I don’t know who he is. He has put Okowa into more trouble. Now they are sending emissaries to me but I said ‘No! you have crossed the red line. The people must have their money. Let Okowa take me to court”.

“This Okowa is very tribalistic, very nepotic and very corrupt. He knows what he has done recently. Delta State University in Abraka has been reduced to nothing. He had a secret plan. He elevated Agbor College of Education to a university known as Delta State University, Agbor; not knowing that it was a secret plan for him to build a university in his own village Owa-Alero. Today, when you go there, a new faculty of Law with students hostels, staff quarters have been built in his village without roads. Whereas, DELSU faculty of Law in Oleh has not been developed. For three years, NUC stopped them from recruiting new students”.

“He also building a faculty of medicine in his own village whereas the one in DELSU is not being developed. He is building faculty of engineering in Owa his own village with staff quarters whereas the one in Oleh is not being developed”.

“Talking about the state house of Assembly, they are just rubberstamp. Okowa is the one putting all the members there. So they do whatever he wants. If the federal government has not paid the total amount due to the oil producing communities in Delta or anywhere, let Okowa give an account of what he has been paid and how he spent the money. I am not vindictive. I have a duty to do what I am doing and I have no regret. That is why when Okowa is appealing to me, I said no. Whether Okowa is out of office or not, this matter will not end. He will be called by the EFCC, ICPC or DSS to account for the peoples funds. The people are poor. Okowa had made Warri a village. The commercial capital of Delta state before they took it to Asaba. So, today the oil producing areas are suffering. His own area which is not producing any oil is getting all the money”.

“Sometime ago, the former governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike announced that the federal government paid the governors 13 percent derivation fund. He mentioned that Delta state government received about N240b. When I asked Okowa and his group, they started making unnecessary statements”.

“Each time we went for national conference and we said we want the 13 percent to be increased to 25 percent, everybody has been asking us ‘what about the 13 percent you guys have always gotten, what have you done with it? If that amount of money is spent on the oil communities, you won’t worry about the federal government and there won’t be any agitation and vandalization of pipelines. We told them at the conference that when we get home, we are going to discuss this matter”.