Nigeria (Blank NEWS Online) –By Albert OGRAKA:
The Special Assistant to Delta state Governor on DESOPADEC Matters, Mr. Prosper Edo has insisted that Delta State Oil Producing Development Commission (DESOPADEC), only operates the social, security and surveillance fund which has a process that is run throughout the entire five ethnic nationalities in the oil and gas producing communities in Delta state.
Mr. Edo made the statement in a bid to correct the wrong insinuations and claims made by a factional President of Isoko National Youth Assembly (INYA), Comrade Umuakpo Ovie, who led some uninformed miscreants to barricade the Ughelli-Asaba expressway in a protest, alleging that the social, security and surveillance fund belongs to his youth group.
Meanwhile, many Deltans and commuters, traveling through the Ughelli-Asaba expressway on the day of the protest have called on the security agencies to urgently curtail the excesses of the factional youth leader whom they claim has been causing security breaches in Isoko nation, especially barricading a major highway which they described as a criminal act.
According to them, “Many traders on their way to Onitsha and those who have businesses in and around the area have been lamenting the loss of time and other negative effects of the road blockade. Commuters, mostly traders and civil servants going to Onitsha and Asaba have been stranded here since 7am. The state government and security agencies should urgently call this youth to order because his actions are criminal. ”
A statement issued on Monday, December 11, 2017 by the Special Assistant to Delta state Governor on DESOPADEC Matters, Mr. Prosper Edo reads:
“There is nothing like youth money in DESOPADEC. DESOPADEC is made up of five ethnic groups: Isoko, Itsekiri, Ijaw, Urhobo and Ndokwa. What some people claim to be youth money is what we all know as social, security and surveillance fund.
“There is no where any youth body in the five ethnic nationalities that makes up DESOPADEC lay claims to that fund and say it is youth money, there is nothing like that.
“As an Isoko man and Special Assistant to Delta state Governor on DESOPADEC Matters, I am urging members of the public to clear that misconception from their minds.
“Presently, there are so many youth bodies in Isoko with several factions and for one particular group to make claims to any youth money, assuming, but not conceding that there is youth money from DESOPADEC, is completely erroneous.
“We have decided stand to correct all these misconceptions because there are persons who will take it as the right thing for people to hear. It is completely wrong.
“You cannot on your own take laws into your hands to claim that you are the youth president of a faction of a youth body in Isoko and block government highways. It is criminal and I condemn it in the strongest terms.
“If anybody can come out with facts to say that the social, security and surveillance fund is youth money, I stand to be corrected. Let the person come out to tell us.
“In Isoko, we have Isoko National Youth Assembly which has two factions and to the best of my knowledge, it is an issue before a court of competent jurisdiction and as a government agency, we have decided to stay clear of it. We don’t want to get involved with issues that are in court.
“When the court comes out to give a verdict about the legality of a faction, then government agency or government as an institution will recognize it but as it stands, the staus quo remains. We don’t want to get involved.
“There is Isoko National Youth Assembly that is fractionized with two presidents, there is also Isoko National Youth Congress and another Isoko Volunteer Group Force with different presidents, so if each president mobilizes its group or supporters and start blocking the highways, what image are you creating for the Isoko people? It is wrong and is highly condemnable.
” I need to set this records straight that there is nothing like Isoko youth money in DESOPADEC. What we have is social, security and surveillance fund that has a process that is run throughout the entire five ethnic group that make up DESOPADEC and not some group of youths coming out to say the money belongs to them and that some persons are with the money. It is completely wrong.”
Copyright © Blank NEWS Online.
All rights reserved. Permission to reproduce, publish, broadcast, rewrite or redistribute in whole or in part is only granted subject to appropriate credit being given to Blank NEWS Online as the source.
***Read Blank NEWS Online for regular news updates…Also like us on Facebook & follow us on Twitter @blanknewsonlin1
Advertise in Blank NEWS Online.
Visit Us @:
www.blanknewsonline.wordpress.com
Email: blanknewsonline@ymail.com
Phone: +234 8037 644 337
Nigeria (Blank NEWS Online) –
E.I.C: Albert Eruorhe Ograka
