By Emma Amaize

ASABA- SCRUTINIZING the body language and actions of the new governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa ever since his victory in the April governorship polls and particularly his 11 days in power, it is evident that he does not want to gratuitously be at odds with his friend and predecessor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan. However, he is robustly proving to be a man of his own.

DESOPADEC reorganization

Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa

One of the last things Uduaghan really wanted done before he left office, May 29, was restructuring of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC, for which he sent a bill to the Delta State House of Assembly. However, mixed reactions greeted the bill with leaders of the oil communities divided into two camps.

Okowa did not conceal his stand on the matter, as he indicated soon as he was sworn-in, May 29, that he would send a fresh bill to restructure the board and management of DESOPADEC in line with the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC model. It was palpable that he was dumping the earlier bill proposed by Uduaghan. Indeed, that was what situation, as the House of Assembly dumped the bill days after by adjourning deliberation on it sine die.

Those, who supported Uduaghan on the bill, are gnashing their teeth, while his opponents are celebrating. What many did not know was that before his inauguration and even when Uduaghan was lobbying for the passage of the bill, Okowa met with a group of the bickering oil communities’ leaders and had made up his mind on what to do before May 29. But, he kept his plans to himself.

Immediate suspension of Civil Service flawed recruitment

Twenty-four hours after taking over the mantle of leadership, he audaciously put on hold the flawed recruitment in the state Civil Service, a more radical step to the suspension of the chair and members of the Civil Service Commission, CSC, by the former administration. To him, it was no time for procrastination.

In a statement signed by the Head of Service, Mr. Patrick Origho, Governor Okowa said, “It is public knowledge that the process was fraught with sharp practices ranging from abuse of office to sale of jobs slots and, therefore, cannot by any stretch of imagination be adjudged credible. No flawed process produces a credible exercise.

“This abysmal handling of the exercise culminated in the suspension of the chairman and members of the Commission and the setting of the Administrative Panel to review the recruitment process,” the statement added. He appealed to Deltans for support and understanding on the suspension of the exercise assuring that” action will be taken to study the report of the Administrative Panel at the appropriate time with a view to strengthening the Delta State Civil Service Commission and ensuring transparent recruitment process.”

Friends all the same

On May 31, he was at the First Baptist Church, Warri, for the family thanksgiving service by Dr. Uduaghan for successfully governing the state for eight years. Okowa singled out Uduaghan’s dedication of the state to God throughout his tenure as his greatest achievement. He said Uduaghan’s regular thanksgiving on behalf of the state government and the changing of the state’s slogan to the “Finger of God” had become precedents, which subsequent administrations would emulate.

The governor assured Dr. Uduaghan that he would always consult him in taking certain decisions affecting the state. Uduaghan also attended similar thanksgiving service organized in Okowa’s honour at St. Philip’s Anglican Church, Asaba.

No eye service

At the service, Governor Okowa charged Deltans not to stand up for him while in the church. His words, “Henceforth, when we are in the church, no man should up for me throughout my tenure, if you want to talk to me, don’t kneel down to talk to me, I don’t want the grace upon my life to be taken away.”

Before Okowa’s inauguration, something played out Dr. Uduaghan and the accountant-general of the state, Mr. Cyril Agbele, who disappeared six days to the hand over to the new administration. It is suspected that the accountant general, who resurfaced after Uduaghan handed over to Okowa must have danced to the music played by a drummer outside the precincts of Government House at that time, and the drummer could not have been anybody than Okowa.

Accountant general affair

Okowa has not commented on Agbele’s action, but Uduaghan, who tongue-lashed the accountant general, May 28, a day before he handed over to Okowa, said, his disappearance was in bad faith. Nevertheless, it is understandable that the evaporation of the accountant general was to prevent the withdrawal of money and payments that would likely make Okowa to start his administration from a wretched financial position. He was surely protecting Okowa’s interest.

On the firing line

Uneasy, says an adage, lies the head that wears the crown. Okowa is also beginning to experience the salvos of critics. One of the bills he sent to the House of Assembly is the Delta State Capital Territory Development Bill, which opponents had slammed him already, accusing him of pursuing an ethnic agenda.

In fact, they also accused him of planning to ditch the Government House Annex in Warri, which former governors, Chief James Ibori and Dr. Uduaghan promoted.

The government in a sharp reaction, weekend, said,   “The attention of the Delta State Government has been drawn to the rumour making the round particularly in the online media, regarding the promulgation of the Delta State Capital Territory Development Bill which has been approved by the State House of Assembly.

“Specifically, there have been insinuations that the Bill is designed by the new administration of Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa to jettison the Government House Annex in Warri. Nothing could be further from the truth. “As the name of the Bill clearly implies, the Bill is meant to address the peculiar infrastructural and environmental challenges of the State Capital Territory without prejudice to the functions of the Government House Annex in Warri, or the status of Warri as the commercial nerve centre of Delta State.

“His Excellency, the Governor of Delta State, implores all Deltans to ignore the rumours which appear to be a calculated attempt by political whore mongers to spread falsehood, engage in cheap blackmail, and cause disaffection in the State. The functions of DSCTDA are clearly spelt out in the Bill establishing it.

“Among other things, the Agency is to formulate policies and guidelines for the development of the State Capital Territory,’ the statement said.   (Next week: What moral fibre in Governor Ifeanyi Okowa makes him to outsmart his opponent; is it something in his gene)?