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<p class="p1">The immediate past Governor of Delta State, Senator <strong>Ifeanyi Okowa</strong>, has strongly refuted allegations claiming that he misappropriated N1.3 trillion in oil derivation funds during his tenure.</p>
<p class="p1">He asserted that the accusations are unfounded and stem from trivial political motivations rather than any genuine concern for accountability.</p>
<p class="p1">Okowa stated that such claims are part of a broader strategy to undermine his reputation and distract from his administration’s achievements.</p>
<p class="p1">He stated that he is not concerned about his invitation from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (<strong>EFCC</strong>), expressing confidence that he would emerge unscathed from the investigation, as he believes he has served the people of Delta State with integrity and dedication during his time in office.</p>
<p class="p1">He reiterated his commitment to transparency and accountability, asserting that his actions as governor were always in the best interest of Deltans. Okowa remains optimistic that the truth will prevail and that his reputation will be upheld throughout this process.</p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">Okowa spoke when he received the leadership of Urhobo Progress Union, UPU, at his residence in Asaba.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">He said: “<em>It was a petition written several months ago, but unfortunately, with the politics of our time some people decided to ensure that Okowa must be invited by EFCC.</em></span></p>
<p class="p1"><em><span class="s1">“People are genuinely uncomfortable about Okowa and I was actually invited and I went there by myself and the first thing I saw was that they said I misappropriated N1.3 trillion and I said, do you know the kind of money you are talking about? </span></em></p>
<p class="p1"><em><span class="s1">“To successfully take N1.3 trillion, it means you have to be taking between N16 billion and N20 billion every month into your pocket. I don’t even know if the President of this country will be able to do that, not to talk of the governor of Delta State. </span></em></p>
<p class="p1"><em><span class="s1">“They have forgotten that the first in three years we came into office – 2015, 2016 and 2017 – <strong>the money that was coming into the state was not even enough to pay salaries at all</strong>. </span></em></p>
<p class="p1"><em><span class="s1">“Some local governments like Ethiope East were owing as much as 15 months salaries and even in the state here some people were getting half salaries. Delta State is the highest salary-paying state in this nation; our salaries grew to the level that salaries and pensions went up to over N11 billion in a month. </span></em></p>
<p class="p1"><em><span class="s1">“There are some states whose total staff strength is less than 18,000, but here in Delta, we have over 56,000 workers.</span></em></p>
<p class="p1"><em><span class="s1">“Workers always received their salaries promptly while we also embarked on all the projects that were done, and nobody thinks about it, especially the projects we did in the riverine areas. But, I know that the people are not happy with those who wrote the petition.</span></em></p>
<p class="p1"><em><span class="s1">“Personally, I am not against investigation because the EFCC has to do its job, and I know that I have done everything how it ought to be done. </span></em></p>
<p class="p1"><em><span class="s1">“For every allegation, they will investigate, and when they have found the truth, they will stop, but for those who sent a wrong communication, it is rather unfortunate.</span></em></p>
<p class="p1"><em><span class="s1">“I just pray for them because when you allow yourself to be used as a tool, when the evil starts to come, the impact will be so much, but I pray that God will forgive them. </span></em></p>
<p class="p1"><em><span class="s1">“I know that by the special grace of God we have done the things we ought to do to the best of our ability and by the special grace of God, Governor Oborevwori is beginning to do a lot. </span></em></p>
<p class="p1"><em><span class="s1">“I believe that by next year he will do a lot more. So, let me assure you that I will continue to support the <strong>UPU and the governor of the state as much as I can because I know that he has a lot to offer this state.</strong>” The former governor added.</span></em></p>
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