Stakeholders Urge Okowa To Drop DESOPADEC Amendment Bills

Leaders and
stakeholders of host communities of oil and gas in Delta State have called on the Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa to drop the proposed amendment of the law establishing the Delta State oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC).
Speaking on behalf of the leaders and host communities, in a press interview, Saturday, Chief Moses Irimisose, said, there was nothing wrong with the present structure of DESOPADEC, therefore, Governor Okowa and members of Delta State House of Assembly should be more concerned to ensure that the commission gets its complete 50 per cent of the 13 per cent derivation.
According to the leaders, the right thing to do now is for Okowa to dissolve the present board of the commission, describing it as scanty and expired.
He said, “a wise and listening governor like Okowa should understand by now that the proposed DESOPADEC amendment bill has been rejected by the host communities, who voted him into office, because such bill may likely affect the progress of the present administration.
The leader said, in as much as Okowa has promised prosperity for Deltans, he must ensure that funds meant to develop host communities were not diverted to develop non-oil-producing communities as the proposed amendment bill is  aimed at short changing the host communities.
Irimisose advised the state governor to send names of nominees to the House of Assembly in a bid to reconstitute a new board of the commission.