Ogieva’s Sticky Problem

Governor Osunbor of Edo State

Worried by tales of corruption and non-performance, Edo State lawmakers beam searchlight on the chairman of Edo State Oil and Gas Producing Areas Development Commission (Edopadec), Lawrence Ogieva
By Walid Ogunseri, Benin City
For Lawrence Ogieva, his days as chairman of the Edo State Oil and Gas Production Areas Commission (EDSOPADEC) appear numbered. Barely one year in office, the activities of the flamboyant chairman of the interventionist agency came under scrutiny following allegations of non-performance and malpractices in the one-year-old organisation.
As a first step towards sanitising the commission, the Edo State House of Assembly has given Ogieva till Monday, August 4, 2008 to report to the House and render accounts of his stewardship since the past one year, given that fact that there is apparently nothing to show at the end of one year anniversary in which he reportedly spent over N10million to organise, except, perhaps, for the purchase and distribution of motorbikes, speedboats, and construction of  boreholes and a police station in some communities.
In fact, Ogieva should be thanking his stars and pastor for narrowly escaping the hammer of angry legislators of Edo State House of Assembly who threatened to recommend him for a sack by Governor Oserheimen Osunbor for non-performance. The reason for the legislator's anger is based on the fact that they are totally disappointed to hear Ogiea’s response to the natural disasters that destroyed two schools in Urhonigbe and Umoghu Nokhua communities-both in Orhionmwon local government area of Edo State.
Ogieva  had told the House that his commission was waiting for collaboration from traditional rulers in the area before taking action, adding that though the commission had already visited the schools and affected communities the delay was occasioned by the need to build long-lasting structures in place of the dilapidated ones. The lawmakers had been miffed by his response because the commission’s performance profile for the past one year did not justify the huge sums of money the state government have pumped into the commission to help tackle the untold hardship and lingering sufferings of the oil-producing areas. It is on record that most of the areas are highly under-developed and its inhabitants have been living their lives below average following the non- existence of basic and social amenities such as potable water supply, good motorable roads, electricity and affordable basic health care system. Schools in the areas are in shambles and everyone would have thought that Ogieva who is an indigene of the oil-producing areas would have blazed the trail to justify the huge sums of money being pumped by the state government by uplifting to a reasonable level the standard of living of indigene of the oil-producing areas.
This utter failure by the chairman of the commission to live up to standards may have incurred for him the wrath of the state lawmakers who appear hell-bent in recommending him for sack by the government when he appeared before the legislators penultimate Monday. “After listening to him, it was clear that he has nothing to offer. He was in a fool’s paradise and he was only interested in advertising himself, may be for future political ambition rather than help the people,” one legislator said.
Ogieva during the two-hour session at the hollow chambers of the State Assembly was reduced to nothing after receiving bashing from angry legislators over allegations of dereliction of duties and non-performance. Majority of the legislators who spoke stated that the commission as an interventionist organ does not need the assistance of a traditional ruler before carrying out any action in its area of jurisdiction.
Mrs. Elizabeth Ativie a member representing Uhunmwode constituency said: “Infact, when he was talking, I was taken aback to hear that he has done so much and there is nothing being seen. Until you are able to address the immediate problems of the constituency which you serve, then you have done nothing as television and video programmes is not action on ground. We want to see action on ground”.
On his part, Samuel Saiki representing Akoko-Edo constituency 11, said the commission’s chairman does not need to wait for the report of any traditional ruler before carrying out his duties. He referred the House to earlier petitions in which the chairman was accused of engaging a prince of the Benin Monarch and member of the commission representing Edo South, Prince Ewere Akenzua Karim in a fight which led to the destruction of valuable government properties, and another authored by Princess Enomwengho Uhunmwangho, also a commissioner representing Orhionmwon Local Government over doubtful and whimsical expenditure incurred by the chairman.
Saiki called on the House to commence the process of changing the chairman of the commission.
While condemning the commission’s chairman for dereliction of duties, Peter Aliu, a lawyer and Anslem Agbabi representing Etsako East and Akoko Edo1 constituencies respectively, accused the chairman of spending about N10million to organise the celebration of one year anniversary for the commission, whereas two million naira, they said, would have been enough to roof the schools destroyed by rainstorm. Both legislators, however, urged the House to reserve whatever action it wants to take against the chairman until he appears before the House.
The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Zakawanu Garuba, while reminding public officers that appointments come with responsibilities, noted that section 20 of the Local Government Amended Law 2006, empowered the parliament to suspend any council chairman without recourse to any authority.
The Speaker contended that it was clearly an indication of lack of responsibility on the part of the commission’s chairman to say that he was waiting for the traditional rulers of the areas concerned to furnish him with what to do.
“I am aware that there is a provision for zonal office and I think the offices are one of the commission’s strategies to have a first-hand information regarding areas of intervention in oil-producing communities. It is not just enough to drive big cars as members of commission, going on television to say we are doing A or B, only to see that what is actually needed to be done has not been done. I really want to take this opportunity to appeal to all of us. If we know we cannot carry out public responsibilities, let us not accept to do it.”
There is no doubt that the commission is currently quaking as a case of over N9.5 million which disappeared from its coffers through a deal between some staffers of the commission and some bank officials is currently being investigated by the police in Benin City. Though the chairman claimed that he is not part of the deal, investigations, however, show that some top officials are involved in the financial mess. the chairman also claimed he is not part of the disappearance of the money, it was gathered that some top management staffers may have been involved.
When contacted,  Ogieva confirmed the fraud but said that all information regarding the missing money could only be assessed from the police authorities currently investigating the matter. Instructively, Ogieva’s first six months in office was characterised by a deluge of petitions, just as some of his commissioners denied knowledge of the doubtful expenditures made last year.
Just when some indigenes of the oil-producing communities in the state are threatening to drag Ogieva before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Princess Mary Uhunmwangho, daughter of the Enogie of Oben, an oil-rich community and a member of the commission forwarded a petition to the Governor and the House committee on Oil and Gas.
Uhunmwangho’s petition that prompted a probe ordered by the House and led by Christopher Adesotu. The Source’s investigation revealed that between July 19 and October 31, 2007, N135, 298.729, representing 40 per cent of the 13 per cent oil derivation funds, which accrued to Edo State within the period, had been paid to the commission.
During the probe, some EDOSPADEC commissioners told the State House of Assembly committee on Oil and Gas that they were not party to how the millions of naira claimed to have been spent by Ogieva was dispensed. Ogieva had told the lawmakers that out of the total grant, N57,738.410 went for recurrent expenditure while N37,092,286 was spent on salaries and allowances of officers of the commission. Surprisingly, he also told the committee that his commission spent N2,935,137 and another N2,935,137 on salaries of permanent and contract staff respectively. Another expenditure that has been causing ripples especially among the commissioners of the commission, is the N10.1 million paid as rent for the commission’s office which he said was renovated with N6,783,500.
The Chairman in his response before the committee further stated that the N10.1 million was for six years rent, contrary to Governor Osunbor’s policy which forbids government agencies, parastatals, or ministries from operating in rented properties. The House committee also took a swipe at the N5,303,874.39 said to have been spent on mobilisation for community projects, as well as the N9,680,000 and N2,173,000 claimed to have been spent on capital assets and publicity respectively by the commission.
It was gathered that upon the return of the chairman from America some years back, he had opted to vie to represent Uhunmwode/Orhionmwon federal constituency in the House of Representatives but was asked to step down by some leaders of the party with the promise of a juicy political appointment which eventually culminated in his appointment as the first chairman of EDSOPADEC.
The chairman was said to have switched his loyalty to the Governor Osunbor faction of the Edo PDP. Following his loyalty to Governor Osunbor, the governor has since seen nothing wrong in his dismal performance after one year in office as the commission’s chairman, inspite of the over N500million so far collected by the State Government through the commission to help alleviate the problems of the oil-producing areas of the state.
Two months ago, Ogieva presented the commission’s report of activities for the first quarter of the year 2008 (January-March) to the state governor, Osunbor where in he told the governor that the exercise was in line with Sec 16 (4) of the law establishing the commission, stressing that the report was improved upon with the inclusion of pictorial presentation of projects and activities of the commission for ease of reference and assessment. He said the commission has a lot to do to ensure equitable distribution of wealth from oil derivation funds and appealed to the governor to help ensure that Oil wells added to other states are returned to Edo state.
Receiving the report, the governor commended the chairman and members of the commission for a job well done and expressed delight that in less than one year in office, the commission has established itself in the oil-producing areas of the state. Governor Osunbor enjoined the commission to intensify its efforts in bringing about rapid development to the people of oil-producing areas of the state.
But, The Source observed a massive boycott of the ceremony by the oil communities, except some black legs who were at the occasion to represent some communities. Many, including lawmakers and government functionaries stayed away from the one year anniversary celebration of the commission, because as an informed source put it, “They did not identify with today’s celebration because there is nothing to celebrate”.
Indeed, before Ogieva’s appointment as chairman of the commission, there were wide-spread protests about his choice from members of the host communities within the oil producing areas of the state. The Edo Assemblymen who resumed from vacation on Monday, July 14, 2008 had lamented that nothing was working in the 18 local government areas of the state, just as they vowed to question local government chairmen, commissioners and the chairman of EDOPADEC o their stewardship.
Consequently, this category of public officials have been directed to appear before it from August 4, 2008 to give account of their stewardship since their assumption of office last year. EDOSPADEC was inaugurated on July 19, 2007.
In the same vein, the chairman of Orhionwmon local government council of the state, Patrick Aisien, the same day escaped being slammed with a two-month suspension by the State House of Assembly for alleged dereliction of duty. The chairman was accused alongside two civil commissioners of education and the chairman of EDOSPADEC of not responding to the rainstorm disaster that wrecked havoc on two primary schools in the area.