Gov Oborevwori’s claims about Delta’s debt have sparked criticism from APC, which accuses him of distorting facts for political gain.
The recent assertion by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s administration that the state has considerably decreased its debt load by over 40% in the past year is causing controversy.
During a radio program in Lagos, Barr Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe claimed that Governor Oborevwori’s efficient management practices reduced the state debt by over N180 billion and saved more than N205 billion. Barr Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe serves as Executive Assistant to the governor for communications.
The claims were labeled as deceptive and misleading by the All Progressive Congress (APC), with an intention to deceive the people of Delta State.
Valentine Onojeghuo, the APC Publicity Secretary in Delta State, dismissed the assertion as a “collection of falsehoods” aimed at appeasing worried Deltans over their state’s financial predicament.
In a statement released over the weekend titled “Delta State: A Story of Mismanagement and Dishonesty,” Onojeghuo alleged that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s administration reducing Delta state’s debt from N500 billion to roughly N370 billion was an atrocious falsehood propagated by government officials. This claim, according to him/her, is the most disgraceful lie ever disseminated.
Everyone is aware that Delta State has consistently received substantial FAAC allocations and generated significant IGR. However, there hasn’t been any notable development in the state during the last two decades of PDP misrule.
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To begin with, it was during the reign of Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa – who propagated the fallacious notion of “prosperity for all” – that our state fell into a lamentable situation as its debt vastly surged above any other Nigerian state’s debts due to unethical loans which were authorized by Sheriff Oborevwori while he held Speaker position in State House Assembly and amounted to billions upon billions of naira being spiraled out-of-control.
The unsightly pattern persisted until the closing moments of Okowa’s administration, with a significant portion of these dubious loans purportedly acquired from a bank in which he is claimed to have personal interests.
There is no evidence that the state profited from the enormous sum borrowed, as a significant portion of it was spent on an unsuccessful presidential campaign and the remainder used to install Sheriff Oborevwori as his successor.
According to the statement, more than half of the federal revenue that is allocated to the state government is being redirected towards servicing debts accumulated by Okowa and Oborevwori.
This redirection of funds has been authorized through an irrevocable payment order issued by the state government.
As a result, there are no available funds for implementing capital projects in Delta State despite claims made regarding debt reduction efforts by officials within our state government.
The capital projects development in Delta State is now amongst the poorest, and Deltans have expressed their strong disapproval towards the state government’s ineffectual efforts to promote a false narrative of debt reduction through careful management by its hired agents.
Unfortunately, the sole continuing project in Delta State can only be identified as the Effurun and Enerhen flyover constructions with no notable developments being executed by the state administration elsewhere.
Also, it is worth noting that the backlog of 13% derivation funds paid by former President Muhammadu Buhari to the Okowa administration amounting to billions disappeared without any indication of how it was utilized.
In contrast, Nyesom Wike – the former governor of Rivers State – utilized his resources to construct more than six flyover projects. However, a hasty assessment of Delta State would reveal its infrastructure is dilapidated with hazardous roads that serve as a breeding ground for kidnappers; hence it has become synonymous with kidnapping activities.
Only last week, a retired commissioner was savagely abducted from her workplace in Asaba, causing multiple deaths. Due to the inadequate governance and dishonesty of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s administration, there is now an exacerbated humanitarian crisis that has worsened the already dire situation for pensioners throughout the state who are owed billions of naira worth of outstanding payments in retirement benefits; countless individuals have perished due to their impoverished circumstances as well.
The administration’s lack of empathy is astounding, devoid of any compassion. Despite the severe economic conditions faced by our state, no measures have been implemented by those in power to alleviate suffering and provide aid to its people.
It is imperative for the governor to take charge and put an end to using propaganda economics by the state government as a means of deceiving residents into believing they are making progress.
