Controversy Trails Multi-million FRSC Training School Built By Okowa Amid Shabby Condition Of State’s Equivalent, DESTMA With Rickety Vehicles

Controversies have started trailing the rationale behind Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa spending hundreds of millions of Delta state funds in the completion of a multi-million Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Marshal Inspectorate Training School in his country home of Owa-Alero, Ika North East Local Government Area, whereas a similar agency of state, Delta State Traffic Management Authority (DESTMA), the State equivalent of FRSC, is reportedly starved and made to rot away.

The project which was built by Delta State Government and inaugurated on Thursday by Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, is being greeted by discontent tunes from stakeholders who see it as misplaced priority.

BIGPENNGR understands the state government had pumped state funds running into hundreds of millions of naira into sponsoring the Federal Government project despite claims that the state is facing cash crunch brought by coronavirus pandemic and dwindling crude oil revenue, whilst the state Traffic Management Agency commissioned to carry out similar duties as FRSC, is in shabby.

According to a former Director General Of DESTMA, Stephen Dieseruvwe, who lampooned the state government over the project, the Head Office of DESTMA is housed in a rented twin-duplex building, off Mariam Babangida Way while the zonal offices in Warri/Effurun, Udu, Sapele, Agbor and Ughelli are in rundown obscure locations.

DESTMA zonal office rotting…

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“The entire state operational fleet as at June 2019, around the same time the idea of FRSC Training School was hatched, consisted of 8 patrol vehicles and presently all the vehicles will fail road worthiness test.  There are no operational vehicles in Udu, Sapale, Agbor and Ughelli.

“Charity ideally should begin at home, but that is not the case in this instance. The original plan of DESTMA was to model it after Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA). But what we have now is a far cry from that dream”, he maintained.

Also reacting to the inauguration of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Marshal Inspectorate Training School against revamping of DSTMA, Mr. Efe Duku, a social critics and aide to deputy senate president, said that Governor Okowa funded the project in his village to the detriment of the state owned DESTMA which he said is still in rented apartments across the state with rickety vehicles as assets.

In a Facebook post titled “We must rise above this plain nonsense”, Duku argued that the Delta State Traffic Management Authority (DESTMA) is Delta’s equivalent of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC). The Delta State Government has not built ANY office for DESTMA anywhere in the State. Its rented offices are dilapidated signposts of its dysfunctional existence.

“Totally abandoning DESTMA, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s Government built a multi-billion Naira modern FRSC Training School in Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s village – Owa-Alero.

For emphasis, Okowa abandoned our own DESTMA and build FRSC’s facilities in his village unsolicited with our monies – not his personal resources.

“We have been told by DESTMA’s pioneer Director-General, Olorogun Stephen Dieseruvwe, that DESTMA’s entire operational fleet as at 2019 “consisted of 8 patrol vehicles and presently all the vehicles will fail road worthiness test.” The case of DESTMA is just bad, but Okowa is not just bothered.

Fleet of assets paraded by DESTMA as patrol vehicles

“Now, let us reason together. Is it possible for Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State to donate to the Federal Government and its FRSC what Lagos and its LASTMA does not have?

“An objective answer to the simple question above must summarise the ‘anyhowness’ that styles itself as a ‘Smart Agenda’ in our State.

“Of course, we cannot exonerate that utterly docile, pliant and sleepy so-called House of Assembly from the waywardness that Okowa’s government is in Asaba. It signs off on every nonsense.

“Without question, virtually everything that proceeds from Okowa’s government is laced with an overdose of impunity, mediocrity, corruption and calculated foolishness. For this reason, it is a horrible scar on the high value we place on prudent and honourable governance.

“Okowa’s government is the lowest we have sunk. We must rise above this plain nonsense”, he posited.

But while inaugurating the project, Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, commended Delta State Government under Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for building the training institute for the federal agency and said that such partnership between states and the Federal Government was needed to promote sustainable development in the country.

“The development of the country depends, to a very large extent, on this type of cooperation between states and the Federal Government.

“The greater the co-operation between states and the Federal Government, the greater the development that Nigerians will witness will be,” he said.

The vice president remarked that the FRSC training school was fully furnished for the training of non-commissioned officers of the corps, and commended the management for its commitment towards delivery on its core mandate of reducing road crashes in the country.

“This far-sighted contribution of the Delta State Government is worthy of all commendation and it’s an excellent example of the collaboration between state and the Federal government.

Newly built FRSC Training school in Owa-Alero

“The ultimate beneficiaries of the project are the people of Delta and of course, the country at large. I must encourage all other states to emulate what Delta has done and exemplify this spirit of cooperation for development.

“Road safety is a collective responsibility and that is what the government of Delta has demonstrated today.

“The Federal Government will continue to support organisations that demonstrate commitment to their statutory duties. Let me again appreciate the Delta state government for the huge financial resource invested in this project,’’ he said.

In his remarks, Gov. Okowa said that a well-trained road safety marshal would impact positively on road safety standards and safe-driving practices in the state and the country.

He said that his administration had completed 483 road projects across the state, including the riverside areas.

“In 2019, the FRSC intimated me of their plan to establish a Marshal Inspectorate Training School (for non-commissioned officers) in Delta State on the condition that the state government will provide a safe, functional and adequate campus for its take-off.

“We knew the project would stretch our already limited resources but we were also confident that in the final analysis the benefits of locating the school in our state far outweighed the costs.

“It is also our pride that through this project, the Delta State Government is able to contribute in a significant way to the overall improvement of road safety in Nigeria.

“Our administration will continue to avail itself of any opportunity to improve road and physical infrastructure, grow the local economy, especially the informal sector, create employment opportunities and advance the general well-being of our people, while contributing our quota towards the advancement of “Project Nigeria”,” Okowa stated.

Corps Marshall and Chief Executive Officer of FRSC, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi,  commended Delta State Government for building and handing over of the training school to the corps.

He said that the successful inauguration of the training institute would add value to human capital development in the Corps.

On his part, the Obi of Owa Kingdom, Dr Emmanuel Efeizomor II, said that the place of education as the path of dignity and mental erudition could not be over-emphasized.

He described Gov. Okowa as a partner in national development and called on politicians to live in conviviality as the nation could only grow when leaders worked together in the interest of the nation.

“It is only education that can liberate the country and we will support you to ensure that Nigeria remains one; it will not break up in our time,” the monarch stated.