Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, Thursday, said that he had no intention of scrapping Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC) as speculated in some parts of the state.

Speaking during the commissioning of an Ultra-Modern Arts and Craft Centre in Emede, lsoko-South Local Government Area, the governor said that contrary to claims in some quarters, the bill he sent to the state House of Assembly was meant to restructure and strengthen the commission to meet with the yearnings of traditional rulers, women and youths in the host communities in the state.

“l have never contemplated scrapping DESOPADEC, I only sent a bill to the House of Assembly to restructure and strengthen the commission and make it responsive to the yearnings of traditional rulers, women and youths and to ensure more participation of the grassroots in the decision making process of the commission,” the governor said.

He noted that the new DESOPADEC bill was not against any ethnic group or political interest rather it would protect the interest of the grassroots.

Uduaghan appealed to critics of government to stop politicising the issue and they should go and read the provisions of the bill properly stressing that “they should stop blackmailing government and stop misleading the masses.”

He said that the Ultra-Modern Arts and Craft Training Centre would boost his administration’s human capital agenda and encourage youths to learn skills valuable to the state.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Barrister Richard Mofe-Damijo, stated that graduates from the centre would be grouped into clusters for entrepreneurial development and finance by the State Ministry of Poverty Alleviation.

He appealed to creative artists from the State like Professor Bruce Onobrakpeya, Sam Ovraiti and Dr. Nelson Edewor among others to help train students in the centre.

ln a related development, the governor also commissioned the 10.8km Otor-Owhe-Otibio-Owhelogbo road in lsoko North Local Government Area and the Ossisa Bridge located at the sector “B” of the Ughelli Asaba Dual Carriage Road which covers 53km.

Governor Uduaghan said the roads was constructed to help improve on the evacuation of farm produce from the rural area to the urban centre and would contribute to the success of the “Delta Beyond Oil” initiative of the state government.

The governor ordered that the Otor-Owhe-Otibio-Owhelogbo road should be demarcated and marked for the safety of motorists and other road users.

On the Ughelli-Asaba Road Section B, the governor said: “l am commissioning the Ossisa bridge on the section “B” axis of the Ughelli - Asaba Express Road which runs from Aradhe in lsoko North to Ossissa in Ndokwa East because it is the only project on the road that is ready.”

The Commissioner for Works, Hon. Funkekeme Solomon, in his address, who said that the road projects were constructed under the state rural integration programme to encourage agricultural development appealed to the people of the area to protect the projects and not damage or cut across the roads to lay any pipe.

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