….Scraps Uduaghan’s First Class Scholarship Scheme, Abandons Scholarship Students In Overseas Universities
In what seems like fresh probe, Delta state governor, Mr. Ifeanyi Okowa has revoked multi-billion naira Delta Leisure and Theme Park and Wild Life Park contracts at Oleri community, Udu local government area and Ogwashi-Uku, Aniocha South local government area of the state initiated by former governor Emmanuel Uduaghan led adminstration.
The governor has also scrapped the Delta State First Class Graduates Scholarship Scheme introduced by his predecessor thereby resulting to the intentional neglect and abandonment of the over 140 Delta state first class students studying in various overseas universities by the Okowa led administration.
Briefing the press during his 2017 quarterly media interaction held at Press centre, government house, Asaba to mark his two years in office, governor Okowa hinted that both projects which have gulped billions of naira from the state coffers were summarily dismissed following the failure on the part of the private partners to follow the agreement reached with the state government as well as abandonment of the two parks.
According to governor Okowa who was explaining the rationale behind the cancelation of the two laudable projects that could boost tourism and the state internally generated revenue, the projects were nothing but scam hence he decided to revoked them, adding that the ‘investors’ had purportedly scammed the Delta State Government with some bogus projects of which the state government wasted hundred of millions of naira with no work done.
“We discovered that the project which supposed to be a private sector-driven with the state government providing land and security turned out to be phony as the “supposed investors” now turning into a contractor while the state government has expended billions of naira. The state government can not continue to be deceived into sponsoring projects that are private sector driven in the original plans that investors end up abandoning after scamming government of huge sum of money.
“I was shock when files of the Delta Leisure Resorts was brought before me. I think the past administration was deceived into these project because the “private investor” in quote are suppose to fund the project. The intention is not for the state government to fund these projects. From the records in the files, the private investors are suppose to come in, the state government provides land and security while the investor provide the funding. But as it is now, to me, I believe the state government was deceived into these projects.
“The situation at the Oleri Park is that there is nothing on ground, no sign at all that the project by the private investor is on course. To us while studying that project, we discovered that the person who was the investor eventually turned itself into the contractor of that project so whatever that has been in terms of billions released was going to the person who is the investor and also the contractor who never bring in any money. The project involved a lot of money and the state government cannot afford that kind of money now to fund that project where the so-called investor would not bring in money.
“I don’t think I will like to continue to be deceived as the state governor and as government, I don’t think we will like to continue to be deceived on that project. Same thing goes for the Wild Life Park Project where you have wide parcel of land lying fallow, no work done. For several years now there is no sign that there is a Wild life Park Project going on and that is suppose to be also a private sector driven project. At a point in time, we realised that we have made mistake as a state government and it is only important that we take the right decision now.
“It is never too late because it is better than allowing a government to be deceived and that is the reason we took that stand. As long as we don’t have any investor coming in and the previous investor have not actually shown that they are truly investors, I don’t think the project could still be viable. These projects are projects that the state currently doesn’t have the capacity to fund or run so as far as I am concern these are projects that cannot be sustain.” Okowa said.
In the same vein, governor Ifeanyi Okowa has scrapped the Delta State First Class Graduates Scholarship Scheme introduced by his predecessor thereby resulting to the intentional neglect and abandonment of the over 140 Delta state first class students studying in various overseas universities by the Okowa led administration.
It would be recalled that the Delta State first class scholarship scheme was initiated by the immediate past governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s administration in 2010 with the aim of training indigenous first class graduates up to MSc and PhD levels in topnotch research based universities in the world.
Speaking during the media briefing, governor Okowa said the state government can no longer continue with the programme following the current economic crunch.
“I wish it were something that I could continue. Yes, it was a programme we met on ground but we are sorry to say that the state government can no longer continue with that programme because of the current economic crunch. At a stage that we came in when we were finding it difficult to pay salaries because one there is a lot of reduction in allocation from FAAC.
“Reduction in internally generated revenue and eventually we also pay a lot of money to service debts and we were owing workers salaries. The question is will the worker be relieved of his duty so that I can continue with some of these scholarships programme? It was something that we found that was not going to work”, he stated.
Meanwhile, no fewer than 140 Delta State first class graduates, awarded scholarship by the former governor Emmanuel Uduaghan led government in the last three years to pursue their MSc and PhD, in various overseas universities of their choice have cried out for assistance, accusing governor Ifeanyi Okowa of neglect and abandonment.
According the stranded students, the sum of N700 million accrued them in the past three years have been denied them by the governor Okowa led administration adding that series of letters sent to the governor were rebuffed.
“We are over 140 students of MSc and PhD in various Universities across the World that have been neglected and abandoned by governor Okowa. For the PhD students many are in their second year, few are in first and third year. Since the administration of governor Okowa came on board, we have been neglected, no payment of our scholarship stipends despite our efforts.” the students lamented.
“We engage in menial jobs such as laundry, cleaning and the likes just to fend for ourselves in foreign countries. This has caused us trauma of no mean magnitude. We do not know why we are rejected, neglected and treated with servitude even in a state where we owe our allegiance. Could it be that we need to win ‘reality shows or become ‘militants’ before we will be attended to?” the students asked.
Investigation by HardReporters revealed that the affected students are currently studying at the Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, while others are studying at London School of Heigene and Tropical Medicine London, University College London, United Kingdom, Brunel University London, University of Manchester, University of Bristol, Dalhouse University Canada, Bangor University, University of leads, University of Sheffield, University of Calgerry, Canada and University of Surrey, England and among others.
HardReporters recalled that this was not the first time, governor Okowa was coming after his predecessor. Some time in the past at the commencement of his administration, Okowa had raised the alarm of how former governor Emmanuel Uduaghan left a debt of over N700 billion which was later found out to be false and a political vendetta been carried on Uduaghan by his successor.
This medium could also recalled how the Okowa led administration had allegedly sponsored series of protests against his predecessor as well as drafting operatives of the economic and financial crimes commission (EFCC), to arrest some past officials who served under the former Uduaghan led administration.
It would also be recalled that in spite of all of this, former governor Emmanuel Uduaghan had during a Delta south PDP stakeholders meeting at his country home in Warri, endorsed Governor Okowa for a second tenure in office.
