From: CHINELO OBOGO
Niger Delta activist and the Igba of Warri, Chief Ritalori Ogbebor, has dragged the Delta State government, Chevron and the Itsekiri Regional Council, to court over allegations of misappropriation of funds.
Speaking during a press conference, on Tuesday, she said that it became necessary to file a suit at the Federal High Court, Warri, to demand, among other things, that the state government and the relevant institutions account for the funds received for the development of the oil producing rural communities.
She alleged that Chevron had been doing business illegally with the Itsekiri Regional Council, and wants the court to mandate both organisations to give account of their financial dealings.
According to her, “In 2005 Chevron thought is right to address all the wrongs with the Niger Delta area and it entered into agreements with the communities. The aim of the agreement was to bring development to the rural communities. All other communities registered their companies and started dealing with Chevron except the Itsekiris. An illegal body called Itsekiri Regional Council was formed that went on dealing with Chevron illegally. We say it is illegal because the Olu of Warri who is supposed to be the head of the body was not involved. Chevron continued to deal with the illegal body and give them funds, and today we have seen nothing done for the community by this body. Monies are just doled out and members of the body divide the money.
“ I went to court to court to demand that the government and the Itsekiri Regional Council tell us how the funds they have received since 2005 has been spent. We want the court to also mandate Chevron, the State government and members of the Itsekiri Regional Council to give account of how much was disbursed and how what was spent on development projects . There are no schools in rural areas, hospitals and other necessary infrastructure. From now on our watchword in Itsekiri land is accountability.
“My other grouse is on the running of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) . After my court case with former governor James Ibori which lasted almost eight years, he set up DESOPADEC. The 13 per cent derivation was constitutionally supposed to take care of the rural areas from which oil are extracted, but Ibori with and his State Assembly only gave 50 per cent of the 13 per cent derivation to the rural areas and he was silent on the remaining 50 per cent. We want to know what is going on there and what it has done with the funds being provided for it. They award contract to their friends and cronies and what we have is an odyssey of waste. I have taken the institution to court to give us account of what they did with our money,” the female activist said.
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