Governor Okowa Inspects Controversial N13.6bn Secretariat Project Allegedly Linked To Him

Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa on Tuesday inspected the level of work at the controversial N13.6 billion new Secretariat project allegedly linked to a firm in which he is said to have vested interest.

The Governor also inspected the capital intensive Storm drainage projects in Asaba, the state capital and expressed satisfaction with the pace of work done on the projects.

Okowa, during the inspection said the storm drainage projects being executed by his administration were designed to stand the test of time and ensure that Asaba is free of flood.

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The Governor who expressed satisfaction with the pace of work done on the ultra-modern multi-billion naira Secretariat and Storm drainage projects in Asaba, said, “though the contractor has 18 months to deliver on the project, (Drainage) from what we can see with the level of work done so far, the project will be delivered in 12 months, so, the people will only suffer the effects of flood only in this rainy season.”

Fielding questions from journalists after inspecting the level of work done at the project sites, the Governor disclosed, “these projects were designed to stand the test of time, the storm drainage project will empty flood water from Mariam Babangida, WAEC and DBS Roads to the Anwai River.”

On the issue of people dropping their household wastes into the drainages which could lead to blockage if not cleared, Governor Okowa stated, “the Ministry of Environment has already mapped out holistic solutions to the discharge of wastes in Asaba, there will be revenue courts to try those who will dump their refuse indiscriminately and we are confident that once that is in place, people will restrain from engaging in illegal disposal of wastes.”

“The drainages are also, being constructed with means of controlling wastes that will empty into the underground sewage, we don’t want to experience flood in Asaba again after this period,” the Governor said.

Project Manager of Setraco Nigeria Limited, Mr Jihad Yaghi who expressed joy that Governor Okowa was encouraging them to speedily execute their job, disclosed that to enable them work during the rain season, they will use precast drains to ensure that their activities does not affect other residence of the town.

“The precast will be used during the rain, we will excavate step by step, you excavate like 20 metres and fix the precast, with such, you control the effect of the rain,” he said.

At the new secretarial project, Governor Okowa expressed satisfaction with the pace of work, stating, “I visit the site regularly and that shows the level of importance the project is to us, we are committed to executing the project as we believe it will solve a lot of housing needs of our Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).”