Our deputy senate president and Delta APC Governorship Aspirant Senator Ovie Omo-Agege shouldn’t have released that erroneous statement regarding the N150bn bridging finance facility.
Omo-Agege should get facts before coming out to speak against governor Okowa who has brought unprecedented transformation to our people .
He should have study what the N150bn bridging finance facility is meant for .
Unlike Governor Okowa, the deputy senate president Omo-Agege is among those who has mortgage the future of Nigeria by allowing the federal government to borrow our future away.
He should know that the N150bn bridging finance facility was not particularly a loan but a discounting receivables from the Federal Government for Petroleum Subsidy payments made without recourse to the 13% derivation due to oil producing states from 2010 to date.
Just like the State Commissioner for Finance, Chief Fidelis Tilije, Information Mr. Charles Aniagwu said yesterday, the funds totalling N270.6billion ought to have been received a long time ago but because the Federal Government could not pay the whole money in bulk, it became reasonable and logical that the oil producing states enter into an agreement for some part of it to be paid within 3 years and the other part within 5years.
I am not against him speaking but against him telling lies .
The deputy senate president said we don’t have any legacy projects in the state and even went ahead to say our projects are audio.
He forgot that we have Orere bridge, Ode-Itsekiri Bridges and roads, Koka flyover and interchange, Bridge across River Ethiope at Obiaruku, the Ughelli-Asaba Road, Flood control in Effurun and Warri, Owa-Alero drainage channels and projects being executed in the three new universities are part of the projects which some part of the N150bn bridging finance facility will be use for.
He accused the governor of being unfair to pensioners.
I think he is unaware of the governor efforts at making sure our pensioners are taking care of.
He should have known that the governor is also very mindful of the fact that pensioners are suffering.
As at when he came into office in 2015, the total pension past dues was N35billion and we have been trying to reduce that outstanding dues.
The state government approved that N300m monthly should be paid as past pension outstanding and just recently it was increased to N500million monthly.
To further reduce this past pension obligations, from the facility, we will be spending N20 billion for state pensions outstanding of past dues and N10billion to the Bureau of Local Governments as grant to enable them also reduce whatever outstanding payments to local government pensioners.
Talking about the debt profile of the stare .
Governor Okowa being a prudent governor has reduced the debt profile of the state from N151billion to N72billion.
So our deputy senate president should study carefully before speaking.
My name is Ossai Ovie Success
