Derivation Fund: N2billion Allegedly Left In DESOPADEC Coffers Become Subject Of Controversy

The intermittent protest bedeviling the current board and management of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, (DESOPADEC) has been traced to the misappropriation of 13 percent derivation funds which supposedly ought to accrue to the oil producing communities of Delta state.

The alleged misappropriation of the funds as well as the N2billion left by the immediate past board of commission led by Oritsuwa Kpogho for the Hon. Godwin Ebosa led DESOPADEC Board have becomes subject of discourse owing to renewed protest by workers of the fund starved commission.

BigPen Online learnt that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa who administer the money whenever it is released from the federation account, have overtime being accused of channeling the 13 percent derivation funds meant to develop the oil bearing communities to other part of the state.

Sources revealed that the governor now spread the money to other developmental needs of the state, particularly to the Asaba Capital Territory Agency which he set up on assumption of office to give the state capital a face-lift.

“We write to intimate the host communities and all stakeholders of the entire oil producing area of Delta state that our 13 percent derivation is not for Delta state as a whole but strictly for the oil producing communities”, a protest letter by DESOPADEC workers read.

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However, the meager funds release to the commission, according to our source since the Okowa’s administration are allegedly channelled into private pocket or misappropriated by the Godwin Ebosa, William Makinde and Askia Ogieh controlled commission.

It was gathered that Okowa reportedly suspended direct wiring of money by the Accountant General of the state to DESOPADEC’s coffers following the failure of the Ebosa, Makinde and Ogieh who control the soul of the oil commission to account for the N2billion left in the coffers by past board.

Following this, protesting workers of the commission who have continued their standoff for days have challenged the Hon. Godwin Ebosa led Board to account for  N 2 billion allegedly “left at Sterling Bank by the immediate past Oritsuwa Kpogho Board”.

The protesters believed that if the money was managed judiciously, the commission could not have been owing the contentious end of year (13 month) bonus which is enshrined in their condition of service.

The commission is also said to be owing workers mainly the junior cadet since 2017, while over 800 staff so far transferred have not gotten their allowances.

The workers who started the protest since Tuesday last week bear placards such as, “no off station allowances, no clock in”, “implement our condition of service DESOPADEC” , “we say no to level 9 & 10 as Head of Department in DESOPADEC”, “11 years now no promotion”, “we say no to 1 million naira diesel supply daily” and “account for the 2 billion naira left by the Kpogho Board at Sterling Bank”.

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Chairman of Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Services Technical & Recreational Services Employees, AUPCTRE, DESOPADEC Branch, Comrade John Osah who led others on the protest alongside a member of the congress, Edeyan Abigail Oghenevokeh had alleged that despite being owed two years of the “end of year bonuses”, each member of the current DESOPADEC board went home with  N120million in December 2017 and monies running into millions of naira were purportedly spent on 30 persons for foreign frivolities.

According to them, the Okowa administration releases between N2 to N3 billion monthly to the current DESOPADEC Board, yet they continually cry of lack of funds to meet up basic responsibility.

When contacted however, the Executive Director, Finance and Administration of DESOPADEC, Bashorun Askia Ogieh dismissed the claims that money have been misappropriated in the oil commission.

In a telephone conversation with BigPen Online, Ogieh said that the financial records of the oil commission are before relevant government body for scrutiny stressing that no report has indicted the commission’s management of misappropriating any fund accruing to the commission.

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