Secret Reporters No place to hide
Secret Reporters
Since the 29th of May, 2015, when he put his hands on the plough as the Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa has not looked back and has demonstrated a high level of magnanimity with impunity in the signing of Memorandum of Understanding. These MoUs, with both local and international bodies, have clear-cut mandates to develop key areas of the state, especially infrastructures such as roads, electricity, and water but to mention a few.
As of the time of filing this report, the Okowa administration has signed no less than thirty-one (31) MoUs – a feat that could have transformed Delta into an enviable State if implemented, considering the key and germane areas that the MoUs are focused on.
However, an investigation by Secret Reporters has revealed that despite putting pen to paper on all the MoUs, the Okowa-led government has left most of them at the signing ceremony. Out of the 31 MoUs x-rayed by Secret Reporters, only five have seen the light of the day. Why this is so becomes a conundrum.
With the enormous resources at his disposal, it becomes evident that there is a premeditated plan to sabotage the state’s wealth for his personal and kinsmen’s aggrandizement. More worrisome, is his cold feet towards the MoUs and how he continues to put pen to paper without bothering about the implementation. Little wonder why a wealthy Delta has become ‘bambiala’ in the comity of state.
Here are the MoUs signed and the findings by Secret Reporters:
| SN | MOU | Dates | Findings |
| 1 | Delta State Government signed an MoU with Al-Huda Nigeria Limited and Nassogui of D’Arcano Group to kick- start the construction of the Delta Commercial City project in Asaba. | Monday, June 27, 2016 | It was found that the project is yet to be executed. |
| 2 | Alpha Energy and Electric, Inc, signed an MoU with Delta State government. The MOU is to design, develop, finance, construct, operate and maintain multiple power production plants in multiple locations in Delta state of Nigeria. It is estimated to be up to 500 megawatts. | Thursday, April 7, 2016, | Though there are a few power plants that were executed, none points to the 500 megawatts agreement. |
| 3 | Delta State Government signed an MoU with the Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports Development, pertaining to the hosting of 21st edition of the National Sports festival, scheduled to hold in December 2022. | Monday, December 2021 | Expected to be executed later this year. |
| 4 | Delta Government signed an MoU with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for the implementation of Effective Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Services (E-WASH) in the state. | Wednesday, February 5, 2020 | Though there is a water board in the state, there is no pointer to the execution of the MoU signed. |
| 5 | Delta State government signed an MoU with Adventium Global Delta Consortium Limited, a subsidiary of Adventium Global Incorporation, United States, for the transformation of Songhai Delta Farm at Amukpe in the Sapele Local Government Area into an Agro-Industrial Processing, Tourism, and Training Park. | Monday, 28 March 2022 | In May 2022, the State Government officially handed over $40m to the company to begin the execution. However, it is unfound if any substantial development was achieved by the company. |
| 6 | Delta state government signed an MoU with Foundation for Partnership Initiative in the Niger Delta (PIND) to strengthen the economic development and poverty reduction in the state. | Wednesday, April 5, 2017 | There are no reports that point to the execution of this MoU. However, there are various empowerment initiatives by the government which are aimed at poverty alleviation. |
| 7 | Delta State Government signed an MoU with International Enterprise Singapore company, Meinhardt LTD as part of efforts to boost investments, infrastructural development in the State and promote comparative cost advantage. | Wednesday October 16, 2019, | There are no reports that point to the execution of this MoU. |
| 8 | The Delta Government signed a 20 million dollars Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Norsworthy Investment Limited, a private firm, for the cultivation of 3,000 acres of oil palm and processing plant project. | Thursday June 22, 2017 | MoU was executed. |
| 9 | On Delta State government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Kems Infrastructure Solution Limited and Huawei Technologies Company Nigeria for the development of smart cities in the state. | Tuesday December 20, 2016 | MoU yet to be executed. |
| 10 | Delta State Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with God is Good Motors Limited to manage Delta Transport Company Limited. | On Tuesday September 19, 2017 | The MoU was effective from the signing ceremony. |
| 11 | Delta State Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and a Renovate, Operate and Transfer (ROT) agreement with a consortium of medical service providers under the aegis of Pharmaccess to renovate 25 health centers. | Monday, January 14, 2019 | MoU was executed. |
| 12 | Delta State Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a consultant, Hideaplux Limited, in a bid to revive Principals’ Cup soccer competition among secondary schools in the state. | Monday December 26, 2016 | MoU was executed. |
| 13 | Lions Club signed an MoU with Delta Government on the upgrade and equipping of Eye clinic in the Central Hospital, Warri, Delta State. | 2016 | Ground-breaking ceremony conducted but the project is yet to be executed. |
| 14 | Delta Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a private indigenous investor, Akewa Colmar Terminal Ltd for the development of the Burutu Ports in Burutu Local Government Area. | Tuesday October 27, 2020 | The MoU is yet to be executed. |
| 15 | Delta State Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a private company, Enfrasco Ltd for the establishment of a Transmission Tower Manufacturing & Testing, Industrial Fabrication and Hot Dip Galvanization Facility at Issele-Uku in Aniocha Local Government Area of Delta State. | Thursday January 14, 2021 | Nothing substantial was found about the project. It is believed that Okowa’s government has refused to make efforts towards the accomplishment of the project. |
| 16 | Benin Electricity Distribution Plc (BEDC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Thames Energy Limited and the Delta State Government on the construction of 20megawatts power plant in Isoko, Delta State. | Tuesday September 5, 2017 | Isoko community still suffers from power supply as finidings could not show that the power plant project was executed to any level. |
| 17 | Delta State Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with B2B Export of Russia for the establishment of a refinery in the state. | Monday November 27, 2017 | No implementation after the Memo was signed. |
| 18 | Aniwura.com and Delta State sign MoU on G2B- B2B online platform to create ease of doing business in the state, strengthen trade opportunities between Delta State residents and potential investors and provide an opportunity for business owners in Delta state to do business with themselves and others within Nigeria and internationally in a seamless manner that generates tangible value by opening-up new business opportunities. | Tuesday March 2, 2017 | Aniwura.com is yet to create the business platform agreed in the MOU with the government. Further findings showed that the online platform (Aniwura.com) does not have an active website. It also has just 300 Facebook flower with poor social media presence. This leaves one with a question of how the government assessed the ICT company before going into an agreement with it. |
| 19 | Delta State Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Greenfield Assets Ltd., for the construction of 10,000 housing units in the state. | Monday February 1, 2016 | During the signing of this MOU, it was said that over 200 hectares of land had been acquired along the Illah-Ugbolu Road, near Asaba for the project. Even though the project was to be solely funded by the developer while the houses are to be made available to the civil servants through Delta State Mortgage Bank with five years completion plan, the houses are yet to be available in the state. This creates a doubt if the government ever put in any effort after the signing of the MOU. |
| 20 | Delta State signed a joint Venture agreement with Mirai Technology Limited, Norsworthy Investment Limited to establish a multi-billion Naira Agricultural industrial park that would harness the agro value chain in the state. | Wednesday February 14, 2018 | Findings showed that the project is yet to be executed. |
| 21 | Delta State government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on infrastructural development with North China Construction Company. | Monday April 18, 2016 | While there are no specific projects outlined in this MoU signed by the Delta State government and the North China Construction Nigeria Limited, finidings showed that the company was the contractor that handled the recently completed Prof. Chike Edozien Secretariat, Asaba. |
| 22 | Delta State government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kems Infrastructure Solution Limited and Huawei Technologies Company Nigeria for the development of smart cities in the state. | Thursday December 15, 2016 | No evidence of this MOU was found. |
| 23 | Delta State Government in Asaba signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Interswitch Group for a health financing management platform and online electronic payment system. The agreement also included e-CLAT HealthCare for provision of identity and healthcare management solutions in primary and secondary health care centres in the state. | Tuesday July 18, 2017 | The MoU with Interswitch was to afford the state an opportunity to store its data and carry out other programmes that would enhance health care delivery in the state. However, the platform expected to be created by the company for Delta State does not exist. |
| 24 | The Delta State Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with The Challenge Initiative (TCI), a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), led by the Gates Institute at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health that would enable it access over N200 million to address selected family planning needs of the State without being limited by funding ceilings. | Monday January 15, 2018 | TCI helped the state establish an Advocacy Core Group (ACG) to advocate for family planning funding. TCI also worked with the state to develop a Family Planning Annual Operational Plan (AOP) to harmonize the activities of all family planning partners in Delta State. For the first time in the history of Delta State, the state identified the need to create and fund a specific budget line for family planning through the AOP instead of it being subsumed under the overall Reproductive Health budget line item. As a result of active engagement with high-level policymakers in both the State Ministry of Health and the State Primary Health Care Development Agency, a specific budget line for family planning was created in the Ministry’s fiscal year 2018 budget with an allocation for 8.5 million Naira (approximately $22,332). But the funds were not released for implementing family planning activities. The same situation occurred with the 2019 budget. There is no specific implementation of the MoU as it can’t be found where Delta State accessed over N200 million to address selected family planning needs. |
| 25 | Delta State Government signed an MOU with Agri All Africa. The Chief Job Creation Officer, Prof. Eric Eboh, signed on behalf of the State Government while the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Dirk Hanekom, signed on behalf of Agri All Africa LTD, a South African company engaged in commercial farming. Signing the MoU in his office, the Chief Job Creation Officer, Prof. Eric Eboh, reaffirmed that agricultural growth and development is one of the cardinal agenda of the Governor Ifeanyi OKowa-led administration under the overall framework of the SMART Agenda as articulated in the Medium Term Development Plan of the State Government. | Monday October 24, 2016 | There are no pointers to the execution of this MoU. |
| 26 | The Delta State Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the LNG Technology Limited of South Africa for an enhanced gas production in the state. At a ceremony witnessed by the South Africa High Commissioner to Nigeria, His Excellency, Lulu Louis Mnguni, the Secretary to State Government (SSG), Hon. Festus Ovie Agas, said that the state was endowed with abundant gas resources and expressed happiness for the partnership. | Tuesday March 20, 2018 | There are no pointers to the execution of this MoU. |
| 27 | Sapele Industrial City (SI-CITY) Project MoU was Signed. The MoU was signed by the Host Communities of Sapele local government area, at the Palace of the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, Orerokpe marking a major milestone towards kick-starting the project. The Project Development Director, Olorogun Paul Ejakpomewhe Abu who commended the host communities for signing the MoU, stated that the Sapele Industrial City is a socio-economic changing project with a potential to attract investments in excess of 50 billion USD to the Delta State economy within the next 20 years and create more than a million direct and indirect jobs within same period for the people of Nigeria. | Wednesday January 17, 2018 | The Sapele Industrial City which is an initiative of the Delta State Ministry of Urban Renewal and was to create more than a million direct and indirect jobs within a period of 20 years for the people of Nigerians is yet to attain any reasonable level of implementation 5 years after the signing of the MoU with the communities involved. |
| 28 | Union Discon signed an MOU with Delta on Cassava plantation. Governor Ifeanyi Okowa said Senator Okowa said the nation needed to diversify its economy from oil dependence so as to drive inclusive and sustainable economic growth, create jobs for the youths, and put an end to the current economic challenges faced by the nation. | Monday September 5, 2016 | There is no Casava Plantation in Delta State that is the outcome of the MoU signed with Discon. |
| 29 | Delta State government signed four Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with foreign investors towards generating sustainable power supply. The MoUs signed were on the construction of 100MW Solar Power Plant at Otulokpo Umunnede, Delta State, with Yutai Li Nigeria Limited; the construction of 50MW Solar Power Plant in Delta State by Atlas Projects Limited; construction of 50MW Solar Power Plant at Evwreni Delta State by Spurmore International Limited and the construction of 8.5MW Gas-fired Power Plant (IPP) at Asaba by Bastanchury Power Solutions Limited. Barr. New World Safugha, the Commissioner for Energy, revealed this when he briefed journalists on the activities and achievements of the Ministry of Energy, disclosing that the process of signing Power Purchase Agreement, (PPA), with Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trade (NBET) Plc had hindered the commencement of the Projects. | Friday July 20, 2018 | These MoUs have not been implemented. |
| 30 | Delta State Contributory Health Commission signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Sanofi, a Paris, France based company to improve access for Diabetes and Hypertension patients especially, those in the rural areas of the state. | Wednesday October 23, 2019 | DELTA State Health Contributory Commission, DSHC, in collaboration with a pharmaceutical company, Sanofi, in November, 2020 commissioned three Diabetes and Hypertension clinic in Obior, Polobubo and Okporoza, in Aniocha North, Warri North and Warri South Local Government Areas of the State respectively. |
| 31 | Delta State Government and a South African company, Sotheo Engineering, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to build a multi-million Naira trailer park at Umunede, a transit community. | Wednesday January 25, 2017 | This MoU is yet to be implemented. |
Efforts made to speak with the current Secretary to the State Government, Patrick Ukah, on why most of the MoUs have not been implemented proved abortive as his phone line was always busy when our correspondent called.
However, the immediate past SSG, Chiedu Ebie, in a telephone chat with our correspondent, declined to comment on the implementation status of the MoUs, stating that he is no longer in the government house. Also, the first SSG under Governor Okowa’s government, Festus Agas, could not be reached as his phone line was constantly busy.
