DESOPADEC: MD, Board Chairman Tango Over Redeployment Exercise

BEVERLY HILLS, September 16, (THEWILL) –  A clash of interest is currently brewing in the newly-constituted Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) as the Chairman of the Board, Mr. Godwin Ebosa and Managing Director of the oil commission, Mr. Williams Makinde, have openly disagreed over recent redeployment exercise in the establishment.

This came as what could have led to a bloody clash between Urhobo and Itsekiri youths, who had laid siege to the commission over the redeployment exercise, was averted Tuesday at the commission’s headquarters in Warri, the Delta State capital.

www.thewillnigeria.com learnt that the Managing Director, an ally of former governor, James Ibori, had on assumption of office, allegedly without recourse to the Board of the Commission as provided for in Section 16 of the new DESOPADEC Bill recently signed into law by the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, “unilaterally carried out a re-deployment exercise in a circular dated 09 September, 2015 with ref no. DES/DEPT/4/AS/250/59 in which he appointed an all Urhobo Confidential Secretaries for the five (5) new Executive Directors of the Commission with the CSO being deployed to the legal department.”

Irked by the development, www.thewillnigeria.com learnt that the Chairman of the commission, Hon. Godwin Ebosa, on 11 September, 2015 issued a counter circular with ref no. DES/CH/01/CH/001/01 suspending the re-deployment, stating therein; “the deployment is hereby suspended until the board rectifies same. This is based on the security situation of the commission.”

This development which had created tension in the establishment since the release of the circular, on Tuesday took a dramatic twist as some youths of Urhobo extraction laid siege to the commission in their bid to forcefully plant one of their own as the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the establishment.

Reliably sources revealed that the CSO position in particular which is reportedly meant for the Itsekiri nation was allegedly cornered by the Managing Director who allegedly redeployed the former CSO, an Itsekiri man, to the legal department, and replacing him by an Urhobo.

But this development didn’t go down well with the Itsekiris who insisted they were only prepared to relinquish the position for the position of Head of DESOPADEC Infrastructure department held by an Urhobo .

A staff of the Commission who craved anonymity said the staff that was deployed from the Oghara office of the Commission to come and head the Security Department is just a level 09 officer and was asked to replace the current one on grade level 14, saying such practice is against the Civil Service rule as there are more senior officers in the department at the head office to occupy such post when the need arises.

The source alleged that an Urhobo youth group had allegedly extracted a promise from Governor Okowa during his electoral campaign that he would accord them that position when he eventually emerged the governor and has accordingly instructed the Managing Director, Chief Williams Makinde, to effect his promise.

All efforts to reach the Chairman of the board or the Managing Director for comment proved abortive while filing this report.