Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has accused the Delta state government of allegedly spending a total of one hundred and sixty eight billion naira in the last seven years on retaining a long list of political aides.
Senator Omo-Agege who recently declared his intention to contest next year’s governorship election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, said it was sad that such staggering amount of money could be frittered away on aides at a time so many unemployed graduates were roaming the streets as Keke riders.
Senator Omo-Agege who represents Delta central senatorial district spoke when he visited his ardent supporter , High Chief Lucky Akara Gbeneyei, widely addressed as the Gbeneyei 1 of Ogulagha kingdom, Burutu local government area, aka Osunminigbeke Tamara-Asain, the Whale and Independence of the sea at his residence in Warri, Delta state.
Continuing, Senator Omo-Agege who commended High Chief Akara for his uncommon support for his governorship ambition said with sixteen billion naira earmarked in the budget for the Federal Polytechnic he attracted to the state in Orogun, Ughelli north local government the school would be completed, lamenting that it was unfortunate that the state government was wasting as much as two billion monthly on a long list of aides and when calculated in the last seven years it amounted to 168 billion naira.
He said such money could have been used to create long term jobs for the aides and many other Deltans .
” Unemployed graduates are all over yet you see the government spending two billion naira monthly to pay aides, many of them dont have offices. If you multiply two billion for seven years you see that 168 billion naira has been spent ‘
“If he had used the money to give them long term employment it would have been ok. But he spends it on aides, where many don’t have offices . “
“There is 16 billion naira in the budget to start the Federal Polytechnic taking off in the state. And the money will complete the project . It will build the six Faculties , hostels then imagine what could have been done with 168 billion naira in the state”.
Describing High Chief Gbeneyei as a forthright Deltan with passion to see development in the riverine parts of the state he said it was unfortunate that the Delta state government could not bring meaningful development to Ijaw areas and other parts of the state in the last seven years.
“If they remove Bomadi bridge is there anything again in Ijaw areas. I don’t believe that PDP government has been fair to Ijaw land. Its unfortunate that there are so many educated Ijaws in the PDP but they are not talking. How come it is only Chief Gbeneyei that has been shouting about underdevelopment in Ijaw land. Urhobo areas are very angry . And it is the same all over . Graduates all over Delta riding Keke and Okada “
“All Chief Gbeneyei has been saying in his publications is that he has not seen any development in Patani, Warri south west, Egbema and other riverine parts of Ijaw , He keeps telling Delta Ijaw political leaders that you are my brothers but I am not seeing any development in Ijaw areas . It takes an uncommon man to do this. “
” I reassure you that when we get to our ultimate goal , we will ensure that Ijaw areas get the needed attention. “
“I have been in politics for a long time but I have not seen anybody like him . He buys pages in the Vanguard at very expensive rate to drum support for me without asking for a Kobo.”
“Again his support for me at a time some Ijaws are aspiring for the same position , he is simply saying it is not about where you are from but it is about who can do the job. “
Chief Gbeneyei who received him with his friends and some political leaders in Ijaw areas also lamented the degree of neglect in Ijaw areas, adding that he would not relent in his support for the aspiration of the Senator to become governor of the state
” Development in Ijaw areas is what we want. I couldn’t take this meeting to my village because there are no roads. I see what you are doing as Senator and I said with you as governor development will come to Ijaw “
He thanked the Senator for the visit.
When contacted for response, the Delta state Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu said it is not true that the state was spending two billion naira monthly on aides, adding that it had not spent such staggering amount in the last seven years.
He said the aides recruited were Deltans contributing to the growth of the state.
“Is the calculation right? So we had all the aides from day one when the governor was sworn in. In any case, we are not paying two billion to aides. Don’t forget, I am one of them he is talking about.”
” The salary we pay are to Deltans who earn money to build there family, they contribute to peace in the state . If you ask him, he has aides too except he wants to say he is working alone. The aides we have are all working for the state “.
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