Temper rises as governor’s parting gift allegedly tears deputy governor’s crew apart in Delta

In a last effort to dent the image of the Okowa/Otuaro governorship of Delta state which will end in few days, some top management officials and their collaborators have allegedly denied the deputy governor’s press crew of about thirteen million naira (N13,000,000:00) which was a parting gift for them as approved by the outgoing government of Delta state.

Our whistleblower source, who pleaded anonymity, revealed that the deputy governor’s office located in the old government house premises was in a near turmoil as arguments and tempers flared after discovering alleged fraudulent act of these senior civil servants with some of their conspirators.

It was not cleared as at press time whether the issue had been reported to the deputy chief of staff, Engr. Jude Sinebe, or the deputy governor himself.

It was, however, gathered that the intervention of an aide of the deputy governor forced the senior officials and their conspirators into a lengthy closed door meeting to workout modalities to cover the fraud and consequently avoid the wrath of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and his deputy, Kingsley Burutu Otuaro, in whose office the mess oozes from.

One of the victims of the fraud, who will not disclose his name for fear of victimization, disclosed that if the gift is not harmonized and dispensed to all as planned and approved by the governor and his deputy, the issue will definitely snowball into bad blood within the convoy and the entire office of the deputy governor even as a new deputy governor and governor take over on May 29.

Our source also disclosed that virtually all members of the press crew were deliberately omitted from the doctored list with which the men and co have resolved to use in dispensing the parting gift.

It was also discovered through further investigation by this medium that the protocol crew members all have their names and parting cash gift intact with five hundred thousand naira (N500,000:00) allocated to each of them while the security and drivers who along with the press crew make up the convoy crew have no problems with their allocations as well.

All efforts by this medium to get the reaction of the Permanent Secretary Mr. Maxwell Awuse to comment on the development failed as he could not be reached.

It would be recalled that a similar effort to doctor the list of casual/contract staff list approved for employment into the Delta Broadcasting Service Asaba got the attention of the governor who promptly ordered the halt of the exercise and personally revalidated the list before the 65 hard working young men and women were issued their appointment letters about a month ago.