2019: Governor Okowa Capitulates, Inaugurates Gbagi’s New Plaza Under High Tension Wires In Effurun

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa may have reconsidered the decision of the his administration to pull down structures erected under high tension cables in the state.

This is coming following his inauguration of multi-million naira Robinson Plaza owned by former Minister for state Education, Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi at Effurun on Tuesday.

Inaugurating the project, Governor Okowa expressed optimism that Effurun and Warri axis of Delta State would witness tremendous development in the next couple of years following the return of industrialists to the area.

The Governor who also commissioned 18 pumps Falcon Bay Petrol Station at Effurun, Uvwie local government area of Delta State, stated that the good days are back again for Uvwie, Warri and environs as the people have not only embraced peace but, are encouraging investors to the area.

He observed that the location of Effurun and Warri has made the twin city to be economic nerve centre of the state and commended the traditional ruler of Uvwie, HRM Emmanuel Sideso, Abe I for ensuring that his subjects imbibed peace.

While congratulating Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi,  Chairman, Falcon Bay Energy limited, for constructing the shopping mall, Okowa urged traditional rulers, youths and all Deltans to continue partnering and supporting his administration, asserting, “we will continue to remain proactive and accountable to the people.”

The occasion was chaired by Ijaw national leader, Chief Edwin Clark who commended Governor Okowa’s administration for creating the enabling environment for economic activities to thrive in the state.

BigPen Online recalls that State Commissioner for Environment, Mr John Nani had issued a circular some time ago directing all land developers who build under high tension wires to pull down such structures before a stipulated deadline which the state couldn’t apparently enforced for political reasons.

Another of Gbagi’s popular Plaza along Deco Road in Warri, has always been a target for demolition but past administration had consistently failed to muscle the political will to enforce the advice of town planners about the ediface.

Reports say at least six top government officials, including the former governor, had been complicit in breaking the state’s building laws before the immediate past administration took the decision to pull down all the houses that were built in breach of the law.

However, at the peak of the demolition exercises carried out by former Commissioner for Environment, Chief Frank Omare, BigPen Online could recalled that the Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan-led government in 2012 took a bold step to shut down the Robinson Shopping Mall temporally for days because it was filthy.

The state government then reportedly discovered a dumpsite on the premises, and accused the traders in the plaza of failure to participate in the state-declared environmental sanitation of Saturday 28th July, 2012.

But this triggered a war of words between Uduaghan and Gbagi who had consistently accused the former governor of biased in most of the demolition carried out in the state, maintaining that Uduaghan was carrying out political vendetta against him because he was critical of his government.

Besides Gbagi’s Robinson plaza and the one that was commissioned today by Governor Okowa, the state town planners had also indicted as having violated the building laws a former governorship candidate in Delta State, Chief Ufuoma Charles Obule, whose house is located in Sapele and an ex-Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Love Ojakovo, whose house on Robert Road in Warri was affected by demolition exercise carried out by Omare sometime ago.

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