The Indigenous Contractor Forum, Delta State Oil Producing Areas
Development Commission, DESOPADEC has called on Governor Arthur
Ifeanyi Okowa to dissolve the new DESOPADEC Board if he cannot provide
adequate funds for the outstanding payments Contractors.
The Indigenous Contractors Forum made the call during a warning
protest at the Head Office of DESOPADEC inWarri South Local Government Area of the State.
The Indigenous Contractors who matched through major streets of Warri
chanting “Okowa Give us our money” also carried placards with
inscriptions such as “ Governor Okowa release fund to DESOPADEC to pay
Contractors” “ No to indirect closure of DESOPADEC” “ DESOPADEC delay
is dangerous” “ Pay us our money or properties is destroyed” “
DESOPADEC pay us our money to avoid more casualty” “ Okowa stop
sharing our money with your Cabinet” “ DESOPADEC is a bridge of peace
. Your Excellency try and save the temple” “ Who is killing DESOPADEC
?” “ We say “No” to selective payments” and “Your Excellency give
DESOPADEC a bail fund to clear up outstanding certificates. “
Speaking on behalf of its members, the Chairman Indigenous Contractors
Forum , DESOPADEC. Comrade Francis Obule demanded full payments of to
the indigenous contractors with a caveat to engage the State
Government is violent protest the next time is she fails to meet their
demand stressing, “We need our money”.
Comrade Obule accused the new DESOPADEC Board of granting Indigenous
Contractors “Selective” and “Percentage” payments noting that
they(Indigenous Contractors) have not received “any good payments “
from the DESOPADEC Board.
Comrade Obule noted that the Indigenous Contractors Forum embarked
on the first warning protest to DESOPADEC due to the failure of the
Managing Director, Chief Williams Makinde’s led DESOPADEC Board failed
to act positively on their complaints.
Comrade Obule afurther noted that members of the Indigenous
Contractors Forum borrowed money from the banks, money lenders and
cooperatives to execute their contracts with the Board with one of
them loosing his car in the process, but regretted the manner the
money from them even when they don’t get any payments since the new
Board assumed Office.
According to Comrade Obule, “We want our full money , we want the
governor to release money to the board so that they can function well.
Each time we see in the newspapers that Delta State has receive
certain amount of money but yet they come and tell us that there is no
money. 13% derivation is different from the state fund . it’s meant to
develop the oil producing communities . So, if you withhold that
money, how can the communities be developed. We are now saying that,
he should release the money .If you give somebody a farm, you must
give him the cutlass to farm. So, if you don’t trust this board,
dissolve it. We have sent a letter to the governor last week Thursday
, now we are here. This one is A warning protest, the next time we
come here, whether you are a Jaguda, we will all die here. We will
not leave here because we need our money. “
A member of the Indigenous Contractors Forum, Comrade Joseph Laminghan
who corroborated the the submission of Comrade Francis Obule kicked
against inadequate funding of DESOPADEC Board, Observe the principles
of Contracting by Certificating demanding that they (Contractors)
should be certificated and paid their monies in full.
According to him, “ We are saying that if this Board is not competent
the Governor should immediately find solution to this Board. DESOPADEC
is bridge of contract , peace. Therefore, to avoid conflict the
Governor should do something now. We are giving more chance to
DESOPADEC most especially the Financial Department should behave
himself henceforth.”
Another member of the Indigenous Contractors Forum, Patience Olley
who claimed to being owed sixteen million naira stated that payments
from the DESOPADEC Board has been unstable.
Olley who expressed tiredness especially the insincerity on the part
of the DESOPADEC Board said, “ We are tired. let them pay us our money
in full because that is what is normally done. When you work and raise
a certificate, they will pay your certificate in full. But since this
new Board come, We have not been able to get our money and we are
tired because the banks is drag us. They are taking our properties. We
are dying. Let the State Government release money to DESOPADEC so that
can pay us our money.We have worked for it.”
The Chief Protocol Officer to the Executive Director of Finance &
Administration, Comrade. John Osah who received the protestant
Indigenous Contractors Forum appealed on behalf of the Management of
DESOPADEC Board to fix date and time when the entire Board will meet
with them.
