- Also, Alleged Diversion of Delta State’s N40bn to UTM Floating LNG, a Private Company
By Abiola Olawale
More reports have begun to emerge about the actual reasons surrounding the arrest and detention of the immediate past governor of Delta State, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Reports emerging revealed that Okowa, who was Running Mate to PDP’s Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 presidential election, is being detained at the detention facility of the EFCC located in Port Harcourt, River State, for alleged corruption, alleged fraudulent diversion of public funds, inappropriate diversion of the sum of N40bn belonging to Delta State to UTM floating LNG, a private company said to be mainly owned by one Mr Julius Rone, as well as diversion of N1.3 trillion derivation funds meant for oil producing communities to inappropriate ventures, amongst others.
The anti-graft agency is said to be quizzing the immediate past Delta governor in connection with the above and sundry allegations of financial infractions. The most troubling being an alleged diversion of a whopping N1.3 trillion derivation fund meant for devastated oil producing communities of Delta State to inappropriate ventures, a development which had triggered harsh criticism from elderstatesman and first republic nationalist, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Ckark.
It would be recalled that Chief Clark, a Second Republic Senator representing Warri and one time federal Minister of information during the regime of Gen Yakubu Gowon had lashed Okowa and threatened to file a petition against the ex-governor before the antigraft agency for allegedly diverting derivation funds to ineligible ventures.
Indeed, the N1.3 trillion was said to be part of the funds from the 13 per cent derivation fund from the federation account between 2015 and 2023, the period in which Okowa was governor of Delta State.
Also, the EFCC is said to be grilling Okowa over alleged failure to give account for N40 billion purportedly transferred from the covers of Delta State, and unethically invested in UTM Floating LNG, a private entity belonging to one Mr Julius Rone.
Though the former governor was said to have reportedly claimed that the N40 billion was used to acquire shares in UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas, the EFCC couldn’t find evidence to support his claim. Besides, the antigraft agency is also probing the alleged inappropriate procedure for purportedly acquiring shares in a private company since the money in question belong to the people of Delta state, not the governor, who merely administers the funds in trust on behalf of the people of Delta state who are entitled to their monies and must decide what the state does with the funds.
Similarly, the EFCC is said to be examining the alleged diversion of funds by the former governor to allegedly acquire estates in Abuja and Asaba, Delta State.
The New Diplomat reports that Okowa was governor of Delta State from 2015 to 2023.
