DESOPADEC will continue to execute projects that will impact its mandate communities- Askia Ogieh

…Says present board have lived up to its expectations  

By Gabriel Oghenekaro,

Managing Director of the Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission, Bashorun Askia Ogieh has reiterated the commission’s resolve under his leadership to continue to initiate and execute projects that will affect the lives of citizens of its mandate communities.

Ogieh stated this during an interactive session with Journalists after a two days media tour of some landmarks projects done by the Commission in the state, maintaining that the oil-bearing community especially those under its mandate areas deserve all they have received and even more from the government and International Oil Companies  (IOCs).

When asked the reason why there was still agitation from the oil-bearing communities in the face of huge developmental strides, in terms of life-affecting projects executed by the commission in these communities, Ogieh said, “there can be no agitation that can be too much from the oil-bearing communities. There is still a huge gap that needs to be covered. When you visit these communities where they are exploring this oil from you will know the level of what they are passing through.

“The oil companies are not living up to their billing in the oil-producing communities. We are an interventionist agency and whatever we have done they deserve it and even much more if we have the capacity. I believe if they allow indigenes to manage these companies they will do better because they will understand the plight of the people better.”

The media tour took the selected Newsmen from the mainstream media and online media to some DESOPADEC projects across the state, most of them completed and commissioned, while some were ongoing and at various stages of completion.

The projects include the eight kilometres Obi-Anyima road in Ika South, Opute multipurpose hall, Ozoro, Isoko North, another eight-kilometre Ofagbe- Ibrede road project to link some communities in Isoko North and Ndokwa East, an ultra-modern fully furnished two thousand capacity Civic Centre in Uzere, Isoko South, modern market building project, also in Uzere, and the tripartite intervention projects, including landscaping, gatehouse and perimeter fencing of Urhobo House, Uvwiamuge, in Ughelli North local government area.

Others include the ongoing office development works at the Corporate Headquarters of the Commission in Warri, Warri South, Corpers lodge at Osubi, Okpe local government, multi-purpose Civic Center also in Osubi, Cottage Hospital project at Agoloma, Patani, completion and fencing of examination hall at Sanctus Rosarium Catholic School also in Patani, multi-purpose hall project at Obodo, Warri South, rehabilitated Obodo water scheme also in Warri South and the DESOPADEC Skills acquisition centre, Omadino in Warri south local government area.

The DESOPADEC Managing Director, who was flanked by Chief Vincent Oyibode, the Commissioner representing Ughelli South, Udu and Uvwie and the Executive Director, Social Services Development, Chief John Nani, Executive Director, Finance and Administration, and some other management team of the Commission, said much have been achieved by the commission in its resolve to change the narratives in oil-producing communities in the state from negative to positive.

Ogieh said: “On assumption of office two years ago, the Board adopted the bottom-up model where communities in our mandate areas decide which projects they need, discarding the era of imposition of projects which has been the norm.

“We came on board with some low hanging fruits and long term projects, including the tangibles and intangibles, we have been delivering faithfully to our mandate areas.

“To the glory of God, we have made remarkable feats in the service delivery mandate to our oil-producing communities in the State, particularly when viewed against the backdrop of the unpredictable challenges that literarily confronted us in the whole of the year 2020 and counting, by way of the global COVID-19 pandemic with its crunch economic effect amongst others.

“Our policy thrust, from the blast of the whistle, was to be all-encompassing, including intervention in critical infrastructure in the known sectors of education, health, power, housing, transportation and commerce. In addition, we also resolved to upscale our human capital development in empowering our women with financial muscle as well as creating a window of vocational enhancement for our teeming youth.

“I am glad to announce that the pioneer students of our innovative DESOPADEC Skills Academy, DSA, (160 of them) have just completed their six-month training programme in various vocational fields such as Catering and Confectioneries; Electrical Repairs and Solar Energy Works; Fashion Design and Tailoring; Hairdressing and Makeover; Shoe and Bag Making; Tiling, Interlocking and POP; Welding and Fabrications; Information Communication Technology; Health, Security & Environment (HSE).

“What we are doing as a commission is to prepare our people to be self-employed and also make them employable by the oil companies. We discovered that during employment our people are not being employed because they lack certain certifications like the HSE, which is compulsory and at the same time expensive. This is why we are helping our youths acquire these skills so that during employment they will be ready.”

“In the period under review, we have crisscrossed the length and breadth of the mandate areas, on land and water, commissioning and handing over top-grade projects that are community-driven and fully furnished to the people in very memorable ambience”.

Listing over sixty projects as part of the monumental achievements of the present board of the Commission, Ogieh said: “Assuredly, DESOPADEC is living to its bidding as the foremost interventionist agency resolutely poised to touch the lives of the people in many an aspect and reset the development mode for which it has become known more than a decade ago. And everywhere the commissioning train has berthed in the last two years, it has been with wild and robust appreciation reminiscent of a vibrant Big Heart state that is our beloved Delta.

“We are to this end humbled by our modest but impactful interventions thus far. We owe a debt of gratitude to our Principal, Sen. Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, Governor of our dear State for his immeasurable support and for providing us with the enabling environment to offer our contributions that cohere with the Stronger Delta agenda of his administration. All our efforts are therefore inextricably strung to the development template he has provided for all stakeholders in the greater Delta project.

“As we look ahead in the coming months, I assure you all of our unbroken strides that will manifest in more projects inauguration and make life more meaningful to our people. This promise is with every sense of responsibility”.

He said DESOPADEC intervention in critical infrastructure in education, health, power, housing, transportation and commerce has been unprecedented, in addition to the resolution to upscale its human capital development in empowering the women and creating a window of vocational enhancement for the teeming youths.

Ogieh said all efforts were therefore inextricably strung to the development template the Governor has provided for all stakeholders in the greater Delta project and assured of an unbroken stride that would manifest in more projects inauguration that would make life more meaningful to people.”

Established in 2006, the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC has continued to strive to impact communities in its mandate areas through infrastructural and human capital development.

As an interventionist agency, DESOPADEC has in the last two years, embarked on a good number of projects aimed at improving the living standards of the people in oil-bearing communities.