Return Governor’s Office Annex Warri To Ibori, Uduaghan Era, Activist Tackles Okowa Over ‘Shutdown’

Comrade Emmanuel Odafe Igbini, former Director General of Direct Labour Agency in Delta state, has taken a swipe at Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s government over the purported relocation of Governor’s Office Annex Warri.

Igbini, lamenting the negative impact of the supposed ‘shutdown’, said that Okowa’s predecessors had long established Governor’s Office Annex in Warri to serve as the venue for weekly Delta State Security Council Meetings in view of its closeness to the oil producing communities, oil companies and the military bases operating in the State.

He said that the Governor’s Office annex was established by former Governor, Chief James Ibori after the unfortunate Warri crises and retained by former Governor, Dr Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan but for reasons yet to be fathom Okowa’s government had shut it.

Igbini spoke on the backdrop of protest by thousands of aggrieved youths including “ex-militants” of these oil producing communities of Delta State who travelled hundreds of kilometers from Warri to Governor’s Office at Asaba to meet with Governor Okowa to register their protest against a new Pipeline Surveillance Contract.

He contended that during Ibori and Uduaghan era, the location of the Governor’s office annex was so effective in prompt prevention and or resolution of crisis in oil city of Warri and or oil producing communities of Delta State that are few kilometers from Warri.

In a statement made available to BigPen Online Wednesday night, Igbini queried why Governor Okowa decided to make redundant the Governor’s office annex but prefer to allow aggrieved youths to risk their lives to travel such a long distance to ventilate their anger that is capable of causing Nigeria to lose billions of dollars in oil revenue.

The statement reads: “What if these aggrieved youths decided to ventilate their anger right in their Communities to shutdown oil operations rather than embarking on such travel?

“Were former Governors Ibori and Uduaghan foolish to choose to travel from Asaba to resolve such grievances at the Governor’s Office Annex, Warri, rather than stay back in the comfort of the main multi-billion naira Governor’s Office built by them in Asaba? Certainly, no.

“The senior military officers and their men and Barracks are all based in Warri which makes their responses very swift to prevent breakdown of security, law and order in Warri and adjoining Oil producing Communities.

“They did not also have to first travel hundreds of Kilometers to and from Asaba before taking action in Warri and the Oil Communities.

“If it is justified to now have these Delta State Security Council Meetings far away from Warri, then what will be wrong if the FG decides that such weekly security council meetings be held in Abuja?

“We must put the overriding interest of Delta State and Nigeria first and above any other interests. Please.

“The Governor’s Office Annex, Warri should be returned to its original status to serve as venue for weekly Delta State Security Council Meetings for reasons I stated above; politics aside.

“We cannot be protesting against locating the Administrative Head Offices of these Oil Companies in Lagos, hundreds of Kilometers from the oil producing communities of South-South yet we do this to ourselves.

“God Almighty in his wisdom has made Warri and adjoining  Communities the treasure base of Delta State, Nigeria and the host countries of the multinational oil companies operating in Delta State. The will of God Almighty we must unconditionally obey”.

Meanwhile, BigPen Online checks revealed that the state government occasionally use the Governor’s Office Annex Warri for peace initiatives presided over by the Deputy Governor, Kingsley Otuaro, like the Tuesday meeting.