It’s been two years since the Bashorun Askia Ogieh led Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission, DESOPADEC board was inaugurated by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa in addressing the pressing needs of the oil-bearing communities in the state.
Sustaining and deepening the policy of less dependency on oil and to lay a solid foundation for economic growth and infrastructural development in these oil-bearing communities within the state, the board has in no doubt being affecting the lives of the people in the mandate areas positively.
In line with the popular saying that “seeing is believing” dozens of selected season Journalists drawn across the media industry within the state and beyond undergone a two day media tour round some projects executed by board in the past two years.
Some of the projects visited which spanned across the three senatorial districts of the state, saw magnificent and people’s oriented projects sited in the various communities.
The projects visited include; constructed and well furnished Corpers’ Lodge, Osubi, Okpe LGA, renovated and fully furnished “OPUTE HALL,” an ancient cultural landmark in Ozoro, Isoko North LGA, completed and fully furnished Uzere Civic Centre, Uzere, Isoko South LGA, provision of 40,000 capacity solar-powered water scheme and built and well furnished Multi-purpose hall both at Obodo Warri South LGA.
Other areas visited include construction and equipment of Welding and Fabrication Centre, Omadino, Warri South LGA, construction with full furnishing and equipping of Cottage Hospital, Agoloma, Patani LGA, construction of 8 km Road at Abavo-Obi Ayama, Ika South LGA, landscaping of Urhobo house. Ughelli North LGA among others.
Addressing journalists at a press conference in Warri, managing director of the board, Chief Bashorun Askia Ogieh flanked by other Commissioners representing different ethnic nationalities in the board and other management staff of the board, chronicled the board achievements in the past two years.
The Managing Director who itemized over sixty projects as part of the monumental achievements of the present board of the Commission, said the board had on assumption of office two years ago adopted the bottom-up model where communities in the mandate areas chose which projects they need, thereby putting aside the era of imposition of projects which was the norm.
He stated that Desopadec intervention in critical infrastructure in education, health, power, housing, transportation and commerce has been unprecedented, in addition to the resolved to upscale it human capital development in empowering the women and creating a window of vocational enhancement for the teeming youths.
According to him, “on assumption of office two years ago, the Board adopted the bottom-up model where communities in their mandate areas decide which projects they need, discarding the era of imposition of projects which has been the norm.”
The DESOPADEC MD said living to its bidding as the foremost interventionist agency resolutely poised to touch the lives of the people in many aspect and reset the development model for which it has become known more than a decade ago, that 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.
In order to encourage amicable relationship with the oil bearing communities, Chief Ogieh explained that the board met with representatives of oil exploration companies operating in the areas to foster a business development synergy with the commission acting as an interventionist agency between the locals and the oil companies.
The Managing Director Of the DESOPADEC board, Chief Bashorun Askia Ogieh in what he described as a paradigm shift from analog to digital, pointed out that apart from the massive infrastructural developments executed in various communities, the board has also introduced a rebranded biometrics system for staff which has helped the Commission to regain over three hundred million naira pumped into one of the ongoing star projects of the commission at it’s headquarters, in Warri.
“On coming onboard, we upgraded our personnel/payroll system and audit. To plug all loopholes of human factors and infractions, we migrated to an updated personnel payroll system technology. This has led to a rise in the level of transparency as it has largely eliminated human errors and infractions. Our current system enables the generation of pay slips and same transmitted to the E-mail boxes of our staff.
Gentlemen of the Press, I can report that savings from the Biometrics system, over THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY MILLION NAIRA, have been deployed into the DESOPADEC Tower we are building currently” Chief Ogieh added.
Meanwhile, while feeding questions from Journalists during the interactive session, Chief Ogieh reiterated more positive infrastructural development across all oil bearing communities in the state, despite unavoidably daunting challenges that are not peculiar to Delta State.
The Managing Director further explained that the present board was humbled by it modest but impactful interventions thus far, saying that it owe a debt of gratitude to the state Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa for his immeasurable support and for providing them the enabling environment to offer their contributions to the Stronger Delta mantra of his administration.
Chief Ogieh stated that all efforts are therefore inextricably strung to the development template the Governor has provided for all stakeholders in the greater Delta project and assured of an unbroken strides that will manifest in more projects inauguration that would make life more meaningful to the people.