Obey Court Order over N200bn UBEC Fund, Group Pressurizes Okowa, Oborevwori
This is certainly not the best time for the former Delta Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, as a civil society group, Delta State Comrade Assembly (DSCA), has joined the league of groups asking the former governor to account for over N200 billion education funds received under his administration.
The group, in a press statement, gave Okowa and his successor, Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, a 14-day ultimatum to disclose to Deltans how the said N200 billion was spent and the projects it was used for across the state.
DSCA in the statement signed by its Chairman, Comrade Emmanuel Ogbebor, also commended Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) for taking up the case and exposing alleged corruption in the Okowa-led government.
The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos had ordered the Delta State Government to disclose details of how over N200 billion in education funds was spent under Okowa’s administration.
The funds were collected by Okowa’s government from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) between 2015 and 2019. On July 17, Daniel Osiagor, the presiding judge, delivered the ruling, following a freedom of information (FIO) suit marked FHC/L/CS/803/2019 filed by SERAP.SERAP had asked Okowa’s government in 2019 to account for the spending of the UBEC funds but his administration declined at the time.
The anti-corruption group subsequently filed an FIO lawsuit, among other things, seeking to compel the Delta State government to “explain the disparity between budgetary allocations to primary education and the reality that several of the 1,124 primary schools across the state are in shambles, and with very poor teaching facilities”.
In the judgment, the court ordered Governor Oborevwori to “disclose details of budgetary allocations and actual spending by the Okowa government between 2015 and 2019, including specific projects carried out to improve primary education in Delta State, and the locations of such projects”.
Ogbebor, while applauding SERAP for helping to expose corruption in Delta State, tasked Okowa to come down from his high horse and explain to Deltans what he did with over N200 billion education fund or they will mobilize Deltans to protest and occupy Government House, Asaba until their request is attended to.
According to DSCA, “SERAP petition has proven to all that the Okowa-led administration in Delta State was characterized with monumental corruption, This has always been our position and it is left for Okowa and Oborevwori to tell Deltans how over N200 billion of their money was spent.
“We the members of Delta State Comrade Assembly by this statement give Senator Okowa and his stooge to account for the said N200 billion within 14 days, if not we will have no other option but to mobilize Deltans to occupy Delta Government House until our request is met.”
“We are not going to accept the very weak and laughable explanation from his spine doctor that Delta did not get up to N200 billion from UBEC without telling how much the state got under Okowa and what it was for.
“Let’s assume, without conceding that Governor Okowa didn’t get up to N200 billion, is it not proper that he tells Deltans how much he got, or is senator hiding something?
“We, therefore, called on Deltans of goodwill to come out there and put pressure on the current governor to give us an account according to available records, anything short of this is unacceptable to Deltans.”