By Festus Ahon

ASABA—Ijaws of Gbaramatu Kingdom in Delta State, under the aegis of Flowstation Wellhead Host Communities, have warned against diverting money accruing to them in the state Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC, to build a modular refinery.

The people who were led in a protest to the state House of Assembly complex, Asaba, by Mr Sherriff Mulade, said that building a modular refinery was not their priority.

Speaking on behalf of the people, Mulade condemned the alleged move by DESOPADEC to impose projects on host communities, stressing the need to capture the priority needs of the people in the 2016 budget of the commission.

He warned the commission against embarking on unrealistic programmes and projects and frowned at what he described as lopsided employment in the commission.

Alleging that the Ijaws have been short-changed in the commission, Mulade appealed to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa not to allow some selfish individuals to manipulate him into embarking on unrealistic programmes and projects.

Addressing the protesters, Chairman House Committee on DESOPADEC, Chief Denis Omovie, told them to remain calm, adding that the interest of all stakeholders would be taken care of in the commission’s budget.