By Egufe Yafugborhi

WARRI—ITSEKIRI leaders, through the Itsekiri Leaders of Thought, ILOT, yesterday raised more justifications for their call on Delta State House of Assembly not to pass the 2016 budget of Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC, over allegations of “official corruption.”

A statement in Warri, Delta State, by Edward Ekpoko, ILOT Secretary, said: “The sum of N600 million has been added to the wages of Itsekiri staff in the budget. This is as a result of protest by some ethnic nationalities that the money withdrawn on first-line charge and collected by individuals from Ijaw and Itsekiri ethnic nationalities for phoney jobs be on second-line charge.

“Itsekiri people will no longer tolerate it. No money should be budgeted and/or approved for any individual for any phoney project either in the name of security or pipeline surveillance. Relevant Federal Government agencies will be alerted if it continues, as we believe that it is being used to line the pockets of militants.”

ILOT, in its objections to the 2016 DESOPADEC budget proposal as it affects the Itsekiri, had harped on the perceived observation that projects amounting to N1 billion cited as central for Itsekiri people were included without consultation with leaders and people of Itsekiri, making the projects lopsided and serving selfish interests.

“A Central project should be one that serves the interest of majority of Itsekiri people. Two of the projects, construction of units of Cluster Houses (2-bedrooms) at Oboghoro/Otonlila valued at N361,257,119.00 and cearing, parking 10 acres of land and sand-filing through haulage with 60,000 cbm of sand at Oboghoro/Utonlila communities (N138 million) are sited in one community where one of the DESOPADEC board members hails from.

“The construction of 2km Township Road at Obitugbo community valued at N400 million, is a project designed to get access road to a private oil depot owned by the same member of DESOPADEC board and not in the overall interest of the Itsekiri people. All the so-called Central (star) projects are located in one local government area (Warri North).

“On the whole, the so-called Itsekiri Central projects for which about N1 billion was opaquely budgeted is done with impunity and tainted with vested interests of some members on the DESOPADEC board and not Itsekiri and it is lopsided.

“We pray the Delta State House of Assembly, to suspend debate and /or passage of the DESOPADEC 2016 Appropriation Bill with regard to the Itsekiri ethnic nationality Central projects pending when the Itsekiri people will be consulted and agreed on the projects. We believe strongly that the projects as it affect Itsekiri is designed to facilitate official corruption,” ILOT said.