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HOW GOV. IFEANYI OKOWA RUNS DELTA STATE WITHOUT APPROVED 2017 BUDGET AS LAWMAKERS WERE FORCED TO ASSENT TWO PAGE PAPERS HE SENT TO THEM AS BUDGET

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All the contracts currently awarded by the Delta State Governor, Mr Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa for 2017 are not in the 2017 fiscal year budget, we can authoritatively report. Impeccable information available to us revealed that contrary to claims and pictures of Mr Okowa and the Speaker of the State House of Assembly Speaker, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori signing the 2017 budget in the Governor’s office, the undiluted truth is the Speaker was forced to sign an empty page of paper at the last end of numerous sheet of paper bound together. We exclusively gathered that the Governor in an apparent bid to allegedly loot Delta State silly and pile up money for 2019 election devised a means to evade prying eyes by sending only two pages of papers to the twenty nine House of Assembly members, compelling them to approve it as the 2017 budget which they grudgingly did. “On the day the governor claimed to send us the budget for scrutiny before approval, what all of us held were just two sheets of paper. Till date, none of us, not even the Speaker has seen the budget, but we were forced to agree that we had gone through it and approved it for passage”, one of the lawmakers confided in this newspaper.   CRIMINAL IMPLICATION OF NOT HAVING A BUDGET With the state not having a 2017 budget, Okowa we gathered from eighteen legislators has committed an impeachable offence, but they are challenged on who will move the motion to begin his impeachment process. Sources who reached out to us narrated how Okowa simply awards contracts to his cronies and once his State Executive Council (SEC) accepts it; he allegedly calls the Commissioner for Economic Planning, Mr Kingsley Emu who’s in charge of budget to input it as part of the projects ‘passed’ by the rubber stamped House of Assembly. “Okowa is running a blank budget. What it means is that only he knows what is in the budget. Once he awards it, he just fills in the blank spaces of the contracts and the process continues till he fills up the entire pages. Challenge him to produce the budget that the Speaker signed page by page in one hour and he can never produce it”, one of the lawmakers lamented to us. With none of the lawmaker having a budget, Okowa is simply running a one man show and deciding without recourse to any legal framework to work with, informed sources told this medium. This will be the first time ever a Delta State Governor is ruling a state without a budget. We wrote to the Speaker of the House of Assembly as well as the Commissioner, Ministry of Economic Planning, Kingsley Emu, under the Freedom of Information Act since September 2017 but they refused to produce it since they have no copy, while Kingsley who has a copy only on his computer system as blank Microsoft Excel Sheet also refused to answer our request. A case has been filed in court challenging their refusal to accede to our request. Various calls placed to the Governor as well as the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Mr Tim Owhofere to get their comments on this issue were not answered.

 

 

Source: Secrets Reporter.

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More Troubles For Ex-Delta Gov. Okowa As EFCC Arrests Accountant General Over N1.3Trn Fraud

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has intensified investigations into the activities of former Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, over an alleged N1.3 trillion fraud with the arrest of the Accountant General of Delta State, Mrs Joy Enwa.

The arrest of Enwa by the anti graft commission we gathered is part of investigations into the alleged misappropriation of N1.3 trillion linked to Okowa.

Other officials being questioned by the anti-graft agency, including a former Director of Finance and Administration.

EFCC sources hinted that the contentious funds include portions of the 13 percent derivation allocation meant for oil-producing states from the monthly Federation Account revenue.

It was widely reported that former Governor Okowa was detained at the EFCC’s Port Harcourt office in November over allegations of using his office to divert state funds for personal gain.

Among the assets allegedly tied to the fraud include shares in UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Company and investments in the oil sector.

Spokesperson of the Commission, Dele Oyewale, who confirmed the arrest, said; “Mrs Enwa was detained for questioning over the ongoing investigation into the mismanagement of state funds under the former administration. Some other government officials have also been interrogated.”

Mrs. Enwa, who served as Deputy Accountant General during the administration of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, was appointed Accountant General by Okowa in 2020.

When contacted to comment on her engagement with the anti-graft agency, Mrs. Enwa declined to provide details, stating; “I am not the right source to confirm this story. Please contact the EFCC for clarification.”

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Alleged Debts: NCC Approves Disconnection Of Exchange Telecoms From MTN Company Network

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The disconnection of Exchange Telecommunications LTD from MTN Nigeria Network has been approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

MTN company was accused of failing to settle interconnect charges.

Exchange Telecommunications is a local and international interconnect carrier.

The NCC, a regulatory commission made this known in a public notice signed by its Public Affairs Director, Mr Reuben Muoka at the NCC office on Friday.

It was noted that the disconnection would subsist until otherwise determined by the commission.

“The Nigerian Communications Commission hereby notifies the public that approval has been granted for the disconnection of Exchange Telecommunications Ltd. (Exchange) from MTN Nigeria Communications Ltd. (MTN) as a result of non-settlement of interconnect charges,” the NCC said.

It was also stated that the Exchange was notified of the application and was given the opportunity to comment and state its case.

The NCC, however, said having examined the application and circumstances surrounding the indebtedness, it determined that the Exchange does not have sufficient reason for non-payment of the interconnect charges.

NCC said the disconnection of the Exchange Telecommunications to MTN was in accordance with Section 100 of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003 and the Guidelines on Procedure for Granting Approval to Disconnect Telecommunications Operators, 2012.

At the expiration of five days from the date of this notice, MTN would discontinue passing voice and data traffic through Exchange and will, thereafter, utilise alternative channels in interconnecting with other network service providers.

 

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We’re not investigating anything – Police deny knowledge of VDM’s missing N180m

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The Plateau State Police Command has denied investigating the alleged stolen fund belonging to a Non-Governmental Organisation owned by social media commentator, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, VDM.

SOCIETY REPORTERS recalls that the social media critic had, in a video on Friday, claimed that about N180 million was stolen from the NGO’s account.

VDM, who claimed that a suspect was arrested in Jos Plateau State in connection to the alleged missing fund, said “somebody hacked into the NGO website” and went away with the money.

The video, which went viral on Friday, has continued to attract criticism from different quarters.

When contacted on Saturday, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Plateau State Command, Alfred Alabo said, “We don’t know anything about that. We are not investigating it. Kindly contact FCT Command to know if the matter was reported to them.”

The spokesperson of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Police Command also said they are “not aware of the matter”.

 

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