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By Festus Ahon

ASABA- DELTA State House of Assembly, Thursday amended the State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC law of 2015 to empower Governor Ifeanyi Okowa extend the tenure of the present Board for not more than one year.

Moving motion for the amendment which was seconded by Mr Daniel Mayuku and subsequently adopted by the House, the Deputy Majority Leader of the House, Mr Oboro Preyor explained that the sections to be amended include Section Five by deleting the word “Communities” and replacing it with “Areas”.

He said a new section was added Section 7 (2) , which reads that the Governor may through a request to the House of Assembly, extend the tenure of the Board for a period of not more than one year only.

To this end, Preyor moved for the suspension of Order 12 rule, 75,76,77,78,79 and 80 in order for the House to take the third reading and pass the bill and was seconded by Mrs Orezi Esievo.

The Speaker, Chief Sheriff Oborevwori who presided over plenary thanked members of the House for the timely attention given to the DESOPADEC amendment bill which was sorted by the executive.

Also, the House Thursday approved Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s request for approval for State Government to Issue a Contingent but Irrevocable Standing Payment Order, ISPO in respect of the Warri/ Effurun Water Supply Improvement Project.

The approval followed the consideration of a letter sent to the House by the State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa and read by the Speaker, Chief Sheriff Oborevwori at plenary.

The approval followed a motion by the Deputy Majority, Mr Oboro Preyor, seconded by Mr Efe Ofobruku and adopted by the House.

Okowa in the letter said the State Executive Council at its 19th meeting which held on the 14th November, 2017 approved the sum of N4, 549, 000,000 performance guarantee by Fidelity Bank on behalf of the state government to enable the State government to enter a Federal Government Support Agreement in respect of the Warri/ Effurun Water Development Project Concession.

He said the agreement essentially involved the state government granting an Irrevocable Standing Payment Order through the Federal Ministry of Finance to cover the termination amount pursuant to clause 31 of the concession agreement among others.