New Delta Avengers are not people of Delta state – Governor Ifeanyi Okowa

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state has said that members of the New Delta Avengers are not people of Delta state

- A former militant leader, Israel Akpodoro, has alleged that the sponsors of the group are members of the board of DESOPADEC

- He, however, said if they are, they should accept dialogue and allow the prevailing peace reign in the state

Against the allegation of a former militant leader, Israel Eshanekpe Akpodoro, that the new militant group which threatened to blow up oil installations in Delta state are being sponsored by board members of DESOPADEC, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has said that the group with the name New Delta Avengers are not the people of Delta state.

Akpodoro had, in an email to sebkeyzblog.blogspot.com, alleged that the sponsors of the new militant group are angry board members of the Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC). He alleged that the militants were holding brief for their sponsors.

He told sebkeyz blogging network.com: "We have it on good authority that these boys are being funded by their local champions who are members of the board of the agency.

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state

“They are agitating so as to achieve their goal of stampeding Governor Ifeanyi Okowa into recklessly pumping the Paris Club refund on DESOPADEC while the issue of salary indebtedness and allowances of workers running into months and arrears remain.”

But Governor Okowa, through his chief press secretary, Charles Aniagwu, debunked Akpodoro’s claim, though a former militant leader, and insisted that the resurrected militants are not people of Delta state.

His belief in the fact that the militants are from other states is hinged on the fact that Delta people are “peace loving” and are yearning for development in their communities and would not be willing to cause chaos and slow down development process in the state.

According to him: "We want to believe that these individuals are not Deltans because Deltans are very peace-loving, they are people who yearn for development because they are development-minded and anybody who wants development cannot begin to speak the way that this particular group is speaking.

“But if they are from Delta state, we plead with them to give peace a chance because it will help everybody, it will help our brothers and sisters in the creeks because what touches them also touches us all; we plead with them to embrace dialogue at all times.”

The governor, however, said it is not true for anybody to accuse the state government of neglecting the oil bearing communities in his development efforts, adding: “It is also wrong for anyone to accuse the government of not properly funding DESOPADEC.

“This administration has special respect for the ethnic diversity of the state and indeed respect to the three senatorial districts, respect to the 10 federal constituencies and respect to the 25 local government areas that make up the state; everybody is being carried along because we believe that together, we will be stronger as a state.”

The group, in its warning had said beginning from June 30, it would embark on a concerted destruction of oil facilities in the state, noting that the destruction would be bloody, hence warned all oil firms, the federal and the state government to take note.

Meanwhile, following the crisis rocking the PDP, a new party is been registered, can that solved PDP crisis?