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Allow the communities to determine which projects they want’
Austin Ogwuda
25 August, 2011, Sweetcrude, Asaba – DELTA State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, yesterday inaugurated a new team for the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) with a charge on them to adopt a bottom-top approach, in which the communities would decide by themselves which projects they would prefer to be sited in their areas, rather than forcing it down their throat.
He also assured contractors who executed one form of contract or the other with the former DESOPADEC team to patience as Government was verifying the authenticity of those contracts in order to weed out spurious ones from the genuine ones.
According to him, “please involve the communities in evolving your projects. It is important that you do not sit and assume that what you are planning for the communities is what the communities require the approach of DESOPADEC must be a bottom top approach so that it is the communities are to determine or decide what they need and you execute the project. Please let the communities, let the people be involved let the people get their benefits”, he stated.
On the issue of protests, the governor said, “please don’t encourage protests. If you have any issues whether about DESOPADEC or any thing about the government please channel it through the proper way and we shall get back to you”, he added.
Members of the Commission sworn in were Mr. Oritsua Kpogho as the Chairman, Mr. Henry Ofa, Mr. Joseph Ogeh, Mr. Michael Diden, Mr. Johnson Dafelite Boro, Mr. Chukwudi Eke, Mrs. Benedicta Izuegbu-Osakunih, Dr. Peter Egedegbe and Mr. Kingsley Otuaro.
DESOPADEC is an interventionist agency in which 50 percent of the revenue of the state is pumped into it to enable it address the contending needs of the oil impacted communities.
