Delta State government has described as baseless, the attack on its programmes by a group, Coalition of State Chairmen of Registered Political Parties in Delta State.
In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Delta State, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, the government said the group was a faceless one and unregistered.
Said the government: “First from our investigations, there is no known body, registered or incorporated as Coalition of State Chairmen of Registered Political Parties in Delta State.
“It beats our imagination to observe that this unregistered body is attacking the essence of the ongoing Town Hall Meetings initiated by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Town Hall meetings have been adjudged by well meaning Deltans as laudable as it has afforded them the opportunity to interface with the government just as it has also afforded the governor the opportunity to have first hand information on a number of issues.”
The government said while the group was claiming that development activities were at a stand-still in Delta, it contradicted itself by alleging that ongoing contracts were awarded without due respect to transparency.
“Again, that is not the true position as contracts are awarded with strict adherence to due process, transparency, accountability and in accordance with laid down laws of the state with strict observance of international best practices,” the government said.
It argued that the state government had awarded contracts for 98 roads covering 612km out of which 45 spanning more than 245km have been completed and commissioned.
That, according to the government, was in addition to line drains covering over 300km.
“It is also on record that the administration’s policy on job creation is fully on course and has led to the emergence of hundreds of young entrepreneurs both in the agricultural and skill acquisition sectors with attendant multiplier effects,” it added.
The statement reads further: “Needn’t we also stress that a reasonable number of primary and secondary schools have been renovated and now wearing new looks. Such uplift of facilities in the educational sector have also been complimented with the revamping of technical schools in the state which were hitherto in a deplorable condition.
“The faceless group in an attempt to attract a measure of credibility to itself delved into the sentimental issue of salaries of local government workers.
“It is common knowledge that the State Government has severally assisted the local governments to meet up with their salary obligations despite the fact that the local government is an independent tier of government.
“We can also confidently say that DESOPADEC was restructured via an Act of the State House of Assembly and most Deltans can attest to the fact that the restructuring has saved the Commission from being bugged down by excessive boardroom politics, just as the Commission has despite the recession in the economy been able to address some developmental needs of oil bearing communities.”
