Ukah Defend Principal Over Perpetual Lack Of Star Project
One year and nine months running, the administration of Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa of Delta State, is yet to give Deltans what they described as ‘mega/star project (s)’ in the state.
Responding to a question to the Commissioner for Information, Patrick Ukah by a journalist recently during a Post Exco briefing held at the Press Centre, Government House, Asaba, the Commissioner said, “if an airport can be considered a star project, was airport build in one year? Ukah retorted.
“I think we should be a bit patient for what you can call a star project. But I think you are aware that we just started what we call a massive state secretariat that will house all MDAs, we should take pains to go and see what is happening there”.
Since assumption of office in May 29th 2015, Okowa, is still struggling to put the runway of the Asaba downgraded airport in order.
Ukah continued: “even the airport till today, we just finished an inspection, we must be happy and say we have something like that. I think it is the second longest runway in Nigeria, I think if we finish what we are doing now, two smaller planes can land without disturbing each other, and 747 plane can land in Asaba airport. So, it can truly be considered as an International airport”.
Ukah also called the job creation exercise in the state as star project, “I think there is need for us to take a lot of look at what is happening in the job creation agency, the massive job creation exercise we have started in this state”, referring to starter-packs as star projects.
According to him, “star projects is that the state is moving on, star projects is that we are doing everything possible to make sure that the people receive their wages”.
Meanwhile, following the over zealousness of Okowa’s information managers especially the Information Commissioner, who quickly made refuter, Nelson Egware and Ossai Success Ovie, who took to their Facebook pages on the alleged $10 million diverted by their employer, Ukah shun a journalist (name withheld) who was giving a candid advise.
The journalist was trying to appeal that an allegation of such magnitude on financial misappropriation, refuters shouldn’t be the best option but a press conference considering the weight of the allegation.
However, the journalist was not allowed to land before Ukah swoop on him, “on the issue of financial misappropriation, I think I have made a statement and that statement resolves it. The mood you want it can be how you want it but how we want it is to tell you that it is the biggest lie of the season. I don’t want us to go to that issue and I don’t want us to dwell in issues that are not important”.