Which Gov Diverted $10m To Girlfriend?

• Critics Finger Wike •It’s Campaign Of Calumny, Say Govs’Aides

Following allegations of diversion of a sum in the neighbourhood of $10million by a governor of the South-South, The New Diplomat’s South-South Bureau Chief, JOHN OGHOJAFOR, examines the raging controversy and governors being “suspected” in the scandal.

However, The New Diplomat gathered that some critics of the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, are alleging that he is actually  governor in question. So, as at the time of going to the press, it wasn’t clear who the culprit really is. Reacting to the allegation against Wike, the Rivers State Commissioner for Information, Tam George, when contacted on phone, refused to respond to what he termed,  “mere speculation”.

“I am a commissioner for information, I don’t respond to speculations… ”

The summary of the story, as reported by the newspaper is that a South -South Governor allegedly sliced a sizable chunk of the London-Paris Club refund bailout released to some states recently by the federal government to the tune of $10 million (Ten million dollars) and laundered same into a slush account of an America-based mistress of his resident in California or Texas. The New Diplomat’s investigations actually reveal that the real culprit in the messy scandal is governor from the Eastern flank of the Niger Delta and not the Western Niger Delta( Not Delta State.) The States that constitute the Western flank of the Niger Delta are Delta, Bayelsa, Edo and Ondo States while those that make up the Eastern Niger Delta include Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Imo and Abia States. In effect, Delta State may not have come into the picture. The New Diplomat gathered that politics of 2019 may also be at play in the game that led to the widespread allegation against Okowa.

But Okowa, through his Commissioner for Information, Mr. Patrick Ukah, dismissed the allegation as “ridiculously tasteless and mischievous”, adding that it was part of an “unrelenting campaign of calumny and the ceaseless peddling of pernicious propaganda against the person and office of the Delta State Governor.”  The opposition party in the state, the All Progressives Congress, APC, has also called on the anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to investigate the allegation, as, according to the party, it amounts to a “scandalous fleecing of the wealth of Deltans.”

In a statement issued by the party’s acting State Publicity Secretary, Mr. Leonard Obibi, the party noted that “the state has nosedived in all ramifications, economically, educationally and in the quality of its infrastructure,” noting that state government workers and aged pensioners have been hard hit in the government’s regime of non-payment of salaries and pensions.

The APC also alluded to the reports of an online newspaper which accused the governor of diverting about N50 billion accruable to the State-owned Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC, from the monthly 13% derivation fund to other areas,  adding that the governor was yet to respond to that allegation.

In a swift reaction, the Delta State PDP took a swipe at the APC, describing its statement as “baseless, unfounded, tendentious, malicious and deliberately calculated to impugn the integrity of Governor Okowa”, adding that the governor’s reputation as a God-fearing man, astute administrator and good manager of resources was well known.

A former governorship candidate and compatriot of Okowa, Dr. Festus Okubor, has also risen to his defence, stressing that the governor Okowa whom he has known for a very long time was neither a womanizer nor a fraudster. Meanwhile, The New Diplomat gathered that the alleged recipient of the alleged slush fund, Georgina Onuoha, has arrived Abuja from her California base apparently to get her name cleared of the allegation.

Though The New Diplomat has not been able to verify the money-laundering allegation against Okowa, our investigation revealed that the fast spread of the report may not be unconnected with some disturbing developments in the state.

A cross section of Deltans who responded to our enquiries on the issue were quick to add that the rumour may have spread so fast on account on account of the fact that  the governor has so far failed to clear reasonable backlog of salary arrears of primary school teachers, pensioners and local government workers across the state. ‘’ That was what happened hence the story spread so much on the internet. Many people know that Okowa is not into women and could not have done so but in politics, there is always a game. People use any weapon to attack. And this weapon was easily available because of the level of disenchantment across the state as at today.’’, noted a top politician in Asaba.

Speaking to The New Diplomat in Aboh, headquarters of Ndokwa East Local Government Area recently, a retired School Principal, Mr. Ossai Osondu, noted: “I’m aware that the governor has collected so many bailout funds, including the recent London-Paris Club refund bailout, which the federal government specifically instructed should be used to defray all outstanding pensions, but up till now, pensioners in the state are still being owed more than two years arrears of pension. “So, what is he doing with all this money?  He may have converted them to dollars and laundered them,” he alleged.  The case of local government council workers is more pathetic.  Speaking with The New Diplomat on the plight of council workers in the state, Omagbemi Samson, a staff of Warri South Local Government Council said no staff of the council had received full salary in any particular month since 2016.

“Even if the government agrees to pay the 11 months arrears of salaries being owed the staff, it will not be enough to defray the debt we have been owing which has been compounded by heavy interest. We borrow to feed, we borrow to send our children to school, we borrow to pay rents.  We even borrow to enter keke (tricycle) daily.  This one no be work again”, Omagbemi lamented.

The New Diplomat crew’s investigation in eight local government councils shows that the poor state of the councils’

finances which we reported about eight months ago has hardly changed.  For example, workers in Okpe Local Government Council, as at December 2016, are being owed salary arrears of 10 months while neighbouring Ethiope East Local Government Council owes 11 months.

Even Warri North Local Government Council with headquarters in Koko, which hardly owes salaries because of the few primary schools in the area, is currently owing workers 4 months salary arrears.  Aniocha South, 9.5 months; Aniocha North, 10 months; Ika North East (home of Gov. Okowa), 8 months; Uvwie, 10 months and Ika South 9 months.

Although situation report from the remaining 17 council areas was not available at the time of filing this report, The New Diplomat source disclosed that the story is similar there.

Other victims of salary arrears in the state are primary school teachers.

The New Diplomat gathered that Okowa deducts at source the primary school teachers’ salary from the councils monthly allocation from the Federation Account. The questions which most of the affected teachers are asking is: If the teachers’ salaries are pulled out of the councils’ monthly allocation at source, why then are the teachers not paid regularly?

Attempts to get the reaction of the governor through his Chief Press Secretary and Commissioner for Information have been unsuccessful but it was gathered that Okowa is putting together a press conference soon to provide answers to some of the knotty issues bedeviling his government. But thw waiting game continues as the attention shifts towards Wike as the alleged mastermind behind the messy scandal. But supporters of Wike are also quick to refute the new twist: ‘’ This is an APC propaganda by Amaechi’s men to tarnish Wike..’’