Charles Aniagwu, the former Commissioner for Information of Delta State, has said that Edwin Clark, an Ijaw leader and Delta State politician, was not well informed to speak on the issues in Delta State, and as such, he spoke in error.
In an interview with ARISE NEWS on Friday, while replying to the statement that Clark made on ARISE NEWS on Wednesday, Aniagwu said, “The issues he has conversed are not original to him, and because they are not original to him, in a number of areas he progressed in error.”
“Premium Trust Bank does not in any way belong to Okowa,” he said, explaining that the state operates under three bank accounts which are Zenith Bank, the United Bank for Africa, and Sterling Bank. He then said, “The Premium Trust Bank is owned by individuals who have had a very good stay in the banking industry … The name of the MD of premium trust bank is Emefienem. He’s not even from the same local government with governor Okowa,” therefore revealing that Okowa had no relationship with the Managing Director of the said bank.
Responding to Clark on the 13% derivation, Aniagwu said, “He talked about the issue of 13% derivation and he started by saying the governor of Rivers State was the one who made public the fact that there were funds to be remitted to the states on account of short force in the 13% derivation. That is not true.
“In the first place, at what time did Wike make it known that money was given to them? That was after Delta State government, under the leadership of governor Okowa, had approached the State Assembly to seek for what you call discounted loan based on what was supposed to be coming in and up till today what the FG said is that they will not be in the position to remit the entire money at once and that they will pay installmentally for a period of 5 years.” He then said, that after the matter had been taken to the State House, it was at that point that the governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, claimed the money for his State.
Aniagwu then said that Okowa brought Delta to be the number 1 state in oil production by bringing peace to the oil producing communities by ensuring that development was brought to these communities.
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
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