By Ovie Okpare
Elder statesman and former Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark, has revealed how the immediate past governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, reportedly embezzled 13 per cent derivation funds paid by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to the state.
Clark alleged that Okowa diverted the said money of which 50 per cent is meant for the development of oil bearing communities through the State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC).
He disclosed this on Wednesday while appearing on Arise Television’s Morning Show.
The 96-year-old South-South leader disclosed that he had written to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe Okowa over the funds.
Clark stressed that the Owa-born politician and trained medical doctor must account for the money which is meant for the development of oil and gas producing communities in the state.
The former senator specifically accused Okowa of allegedly diverting the money to set up a private commercial bank in the country.
He said he had written repeatedly to Okowa while still the governor of Delta to account for the 13% derivation funds without any reasonable explanation from the former governor.
The Ijaw National leader also accused Okowa of nepotism and demanded that anti-graft agency to quiz the former governor to account for the said funds.
According to him, “Section 14 of the DESOPADEC law which was enacted in 2006 during former Governor Ibori’s regime says 50 percent of the 13% Derivation Fund should go to DESOPADEC. The question many of us asked that time is that, what happens to the remaining 50 per cent. Nobody could account for it and that has been going on.
“To cut the long story short recently, the former governor of Rivers State (Wike) during one of his press conferences revealed that so so amount of money was paid to governors of oil bearing states under the 13% Derivation and that Delta State got N250 billion. That annoyed the then governor of Delta State and he issued a statement criticising Wike for interfering in their matter.
“But we thought there’s a need to know what has happened. So, I wrote a letter to the then Governor Okowa to account for the money he has been collecting. He didn’t care. He said he has been spending the money. The answer they gave me is that they used N5bn in paying pensioners in Delta State. How does that come under 13% Derivation? Are the pensioners oil producing pensioners? And they (Okowa) spent the money in building a university in his own village.
“So, I decided to employ a lawyer who went to the Accountant General of the Federation’s office to obtain certified copies of all the amounts that they gave to Delta State since 2007 to December 2022. I got the letter from the Accountant-General’s office, listing all what oil producing states have produced and have been paid. The one paid to Delta State came to N1.750 trillion.
“Uduaghan alone from 2007 to 2015 received about N700 billion. The balance was paid to Okowa because oil was coming in large numbers and the prices were high. What Okowa received was over one trillion naira. Rather than pay the 50% percent provided in DESOPADEC law (which is automatic that the money must be given to them), he held the entire money. He was dishing out money in installments and awarding contracts by DESOPADEC. I said to myself that he (Okowa) must account for the money.
“So, I wrote him a second letter which I have already copied to the EFCC. We cannot be cheated. Governors are now wealthier than their states. He (Okowa) got a bank where most of our money has been paid. A two-year-old bank. The name of the bank is Premium Trust Bank. The Managing Director is one Emefiele from the same village with Okowa. Okowa’s brother (Monday Okowa) who was in Zenith Bank has been transferred there. This man has 13 companies which I mentioned to him (former governor Okowa).
“He (Okowa) has been paying the 13% Derivation to these accounts. Let him deny it. I have written to him. Okowa has embezzled our money that’s not even accounted for in our annual budget. Is it a part of the security vote? He’s very nepotic. We founded Delta State. I am the oldest stakeholder.
“I can’t be criticising the Federal Government when those at home who receive the money are doing nothing with it. Delta allocation is more than every other state. These are criminals who must be jailed.”
