DESOPADEC: Reverse The Appointment Of Diden, Nominate An Urhobo Man As Chairman, UPU Youth Wing To Okowa

By John Tega

Arising from a critical stakeholders meeting of Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) Youth Wing, Worldwide, today, through an open letter to the Delta State Governor, Urhobo youths have called on the Delta State Governor, Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa to reverse the appointments ofHon. Michael Diden, as Chairman of the Board of Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), saying that instead, an Urhobo indigene should occupy the said position.

In a letter by the group made available to Oasis Magazine (OM), they noted that “Urhobo is the highest producer of gas and third in oil production in Delta State, adding that the DESOPASDEC act states that the Chairmanship position is supposed to rotate in the order of Ijaw, Itsekiri, Urhobo, Isoko and Ndokwa ethnic groups in the state.

According to them, this is based on the production quantity of oil and gas.

They also noted that Ijaw and Itsekiri has served their terms in the person of Mr. Okarika and Mr. Okpogo/Hon. Godwin Eboba respectively.

Describing it as an abuse of law by appointing an Itsekiri man now after the last Chairman is also from the same ethnic group and Diden also from Warri North Local Government Area, just like Eboba, an elder cousin to him (Diden).

 They urged Okowa to disqualify Diden based on the amended DESOPADEC Act 2015, adding that it was the turn of Urhobo to produce the Chairman.

The group threatened to go to court to seek redress if the governor fails to implement the law guiding DESOPADEC by appointing an Urhobo person as Chairman of the board immediately.

OM gathered that the swearing-in of the new board is scheduled to take place in Asaba this morning.