Alleged N1trillion diversion: Delta communities drag Okowa to EFCC
Representatives of oil and gas producing communities in Delta State, on Thursday, stormed the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Abuja to protest against alleged misappropriation of over N1tn oil derivation fund belonging to the state during the administration of ex-governor Ifeanyi Okowa.
According to them, the allegedly diverted fund was from the 50 per cent legally prescribed allocation to Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission from the 13 per cent oil derivation fund for the rehabilitation and development of oil-producing areas in Delta State.
But when contacted, the immediate-past Commissioner for Information in Delta State, Ehiedu Aniagwu, told The PUNCH that those who wrote the petition were sponsored by politicians who lost last governorship election in the state.
He said, “Those people protesting were sent by people who are still pained that the Peoples Democratic Party won election in Delta. That is what is paining them. They should know that it is not only Okowa that voted for Sherrif Oborevwori; 21 out of 25 local government areas endorsed him as their governor. So, they should wait for 2027 if they have any better candidate.
“This is a wild goose chase and even the EFCC will know that there is no N1trn anywhere. All the money we got from Federation Account Allocation Committee, including derivation for the whole period we were in office amounted to N2.1trn. How can one trillion Naira be 13 per cent? Do the Mathematics. The money that came from Paris Club, Federation Account that they share to every State, all the interventions amount to N2.1trn. And then out of the money we have, we spent over N1.1trn paying salaries, that is for recurrent expenditure. With that, how can someone divert one trillion?”
The communities, operating under the auspice of Association of Oil and Gas Producing Communities of Delta State, stormed the EFCC in Abuja to present their case against the former governor.
A copy of petition to EFCC obtained by journalists was signed by representatives of Ijaw Ethnic Nationality, Chief Mulade Sheriff; Itsekiri Ethnic Nationality, Matthew Itsekure; Ndokwa Ethnic Nationality, Patience Ego Afujue; Urhobo Ethnic Nationality, Mark Ikpuri; and Isoko Ethnic Nationality, Chief John Etenero. A portion of it read: “It is very disheartening and callous to note that despite the copious and unambiguous provisions of Section 162 (2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Section 13 (1) of the DESOPADEC Law of 2006 (as amended), 2007, 2015 and 2018 respectively, Okowa has deliberately and flagrantly abused, violated and breached the above provisions of the law and had continued to misappropriate the said funds for his personal use at the expense of the suffering people of the Oil and Gas Producing Communities in Delta State.
“It is very nauseating that despite the stupendous billions of naira being paid to the Delta State Government from the 13 per cent oil derivation fund from the Federation Account, the Oil Producing Areas/Communities continue to wallow in abject poverty with no commensurate social amenities and infrastructures in place.”
After submitting the petition at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, Sheriff alleged that the former governor illegally and unlawfully diverted the sum of N1,077,450,285,552.17.
He appealed to the anti-graft agency to conduct a comprehensive probe of Okowa’s administration, particularly the 13 per cent oil derivation funds accrued and disbursed to the Delta State between 2015 and 2023 when Okowa was governor. Punch
