Gov. Okowa dissolves cabinet, sack aides
Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta on Tuesday dissolved the State Executive Council, sacked the Secretary to the State Government, his Chief of Staff, Special Advisers and Chief Strategist.
The immediate past Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, announced this while briefing newsmen on some of the decisions reached by the executive council in Asaba, before the cabinet dissolution.
According to Aniagwu, the commissioners have been directed to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries in the respective ministries.
He said: “All special advisers including the chief strategist, the SSG and the political adviser are to hand over to the next person in the line.
“The governor, before announcing the dissolution of the council, thanked everybody including those who have been there for the past six years and those who joined two years ago for their contributions.”
He noted that the dissolution would also create opportunity for other persons to become members of the cabinet to make their contributions to the development of the state.
Aniagwu added that the governor was aware of the people’s demand for democratic dividends.
The former commissioner said that before the dissolution of the executive council, a number of projects were approved.
He said that the council had dismissed one Mr Bernard Onanomovo, a staff of the state Ministry of Finance, for fraudulently including some names into the payroll of government.
Aniagwu said the council also approved a power purchase agreement with Banktuary Power Solution Nigeria Limited for the provision of electricity to government institutions in Asaba.
The company which came on stream two months ago has a generating capacity of over five Kilowatts of electricity.
“The council approved that the total five Kilowatts of electricity that would be generated will not be consumed by government alone.
“The excess will be shared to persons that can pay for it or sold to the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC),” he stated.
The former commissioner said that the council also approve N2.8 billion for the upgrade of the three newly established universities in the state.
“Government also approved the state participation in the CBN oil palm development programme which will enable it to access over N7 billion loan to be made available to farmers in the state as soft loans,” Aniagwu added.
He said that the council also approved the constructions of a road in Osubi, Okpe Local Government Area of the state, as well as three new secondary schools and a primary school in parts of the state.
On the retuned of the state fund looted by former Gov. James Ibori to Delta, he said that the state government was on touch with the Federal Government, adding I ” believe it would do the needful as a father.” (NAN).
