THE Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission, DESOPADEC, has reacted to allegations by the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC that the agency has become a shadow of itself amidst its mandate of developing the oil producing areas of the state.

The APC had in a statement by its publicity secretary, Sylvester Imonina, had described the interventionist agency as a “cash cow”, an allegation the commission likened to a hogwash adding that the management under its currently leadership is being piloted by a team of technocrats and leaders at the grassroots.

The commission also affirmed that like every other agency of government, the operational ambiance of the agency “has been of chequered nature, experiencing the pleasant, the hopeful, the contrived, and the challenged.”

Head of media and public affairs unit of the commission, Mrs. Chinenye Ezonfade in a statement Wednesday, noted that DESOPADEC has recorded giant strides in critical infrastructure and indelible human capital development which have been achieved with consummate passion over the years.

 She stated further that since the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, the commission has been proactively reengineered along with a basic corporate template that coheres with international best practices.

The statement reads: “We have stated severally that we operate a bottom-up approach whereby our mandate areas communities determine and request for prioritised projects which the commission diligently grants and executes to the letter. This acclaimed practice has ensured that there are no abandoned projects throughout our mandate areas.

 “Let us state very clearly that the Governor does not interfere in the running of the commission, instead his support and encouragement has been a tonic responsible for our modest successes.

 “The so-called audit is an annual statutory function of the State Auditor-General, the report of which is submitted to the Delta State House of Assembly, our commission being an agency of government which cannot be above the law.

“The audit is actually targeted at the management and not the staff since none is being screened. The audit is to ensure that management is playing strictly by the rules, including a forensic look at our financial books and payroll. Therefore, a normal statutory audit that every responsible corporate body should undergo at intervals should not be cause for infantile innuendos.

“In every sector that spans housing, education, power, water, land reclamation, transportation, health, and human capital development, the Commission has been minded to make an indelible impact in the mandate areas, all of which are well documented in print and electronic media.  

“At the risk of engaging in flatulent arguments and wasting precious time to convince pundits with partisan bias, may we highlight some of our landmark projects and initiatives undertaken, amongst thousands of others.

“Under a very difficult period occasioned by the global COVID-19 pandemic when most ministries, departments, and agencies of government were literally in limbo, our management team was still able to brave the odds to deliver top-grade projects to our people.”

She went further to list some of the flagship projects executed by the current management of the commission to include the concrete landing jetty at Ajigba, Warri South council area, ultra modern Opute hall, Ozoro, Isoko North council area, cottage hospital, Agoloma-Patani, Patani local council area, Edion hall, Orerokpe, Okpe local council area, 1.85km perimeter fencing at Oliogo Secondary School, Oliogo Umuseti, Ndokwa West council and complete transformation of the twin communities of Obaghoro/Utonlila in Warri North comprising 50 fully furnished 2-bedroom bungalows, concrete jetties, water scheme, town hall, cottage hospital, concrete paved roads, school, reinforced steel-concrete bridge, provision of motorized fishing boats and other economic boosters.

 Others are; fully furnished 4 semi-detached 2-bedroom bungalows and donated to the management of the National Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Warri South West LGA, reinforced steel pedestrian bridge and concrete walkways at Tsekelewu, Warri North LGA, fully furnished ultra-modern Civic Centre at Uzere, Isoko South LGA as well as fully furnished visiting lecturers’ quarters, Faculty of Engineering, Delta State University, Oleh Campus, Isoko South LGA.