PRESS RELEASE

WARRI INDUSTRIAL BUSINESS PARK TAKES OFF TUESDAY

The kick-off of the Multi-Billion Naira Warri Industrial Business Park is scheduled for Warri on Tuesday February 3rd the commercial center of Delta State.

The project which is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) between Delta State Government and Arco Petrochemical Company Limited has Jurong International of Singapore and KPMG as lead consultants.

The take off of the Warri Industrial Business Park is coming following the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between Delta State government and Arco Petrochemical in August 2008, to setup an industrial park that would boost the commercial and industrial activities in Warri.

The Warri Industrial and Business Park is also conceived as part of the strategies of Delta State government to diversify its economic base, attract new business into the oil city and stimulate the return of businesses that left previously due to restiveness in the area following the return of peace and stability.

The Warri Industrial Park is envisioned to reshape the economic potential of Warri and the state at large.

Delta State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, ARCO Petrochemical chief executive, Mr. Alfred Okoigun and executives of Jurong and KPMG are scheduled to make presentations before a cream of industry captains about the immense possibilities of Warri Industrial Business Park .

PRESS RELEASE

UDUAGHAN CARPETS OVER CONCENTRATION OF POWERS ON FG, QUESTIONS HUGE EXTERNAL RESERVES

· WE ARE HUNGRY WHILE WE HAVE RESERVES

· I’LL NOT BE DISTRACTED BY LEGAL BATTLES

· DELTA HAS 120KM OF STREET LIGHTS

Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has lamented the concentration of too much power in the hands of the Federal Government, saying it is detrimental to true federalism and the growth of the Nigerian nation.

Besides, he noted that a situation in which such decisions as regulations and matters involving allocations are exclusively determined by the Federal Government is against the principle of true federalism.

Uduaghan, during chat with newsmen in Warri, also flayed the Excess Crude Account operated by the Federal Government as unconstitutional and “an oppression of the state and local government councils by the federal government of Nigeria.

“There is so much concentration of power and regulations at the federal level to the detriment of the state governments and it is not helping the development of Nigeria ... If we are talking about getting own funds, I have to pursue Abuja before getting them. So whatever you want to do, you have to talk to somebody somewhere either around or inside Abuja.”

On the position of governors on the Excess Crude Account, Uduaghan said, “We (governors) have said it is ok to save when you have more than enough – it is good to save for the rainy day. But first of all there has to be an agreement that we all collectively agreed that this money should be saved and what amount to be saved.

“When the rainy day comes we should all bring out the money for the rain. In Nigeria, what period can be more of a rainy day than now that you cannot drive between Benin and Shagamu? Yet, we are still saving.”

He also described as unfair and oppressive federal government’s interference with the running of state administration, particularly on allocations: “We are a federation and the law says there is a common pool and everything that is inside that pool has to be shared and whatever I do with my own share depends on the state and the state has structures: we have the executive, we have the legislature and we have the judiciary

WE ARE HUNGRY WHILE WE HAVE RESERVES

Besides, Uduaghan deferred on high external reserves in the face of infrastructure decay and suggested that instead of keeping the money in the vault, it should be released for projects that would help stimulate the economy.

He likened the present high external reserves to a hungry man keeping his yam even when he is hungry just as the yam is being eaten by ‘kokoro’ (Weevil): “I raised the alarm last year and that is what has happened now.

“The money we say we are saving, what is the value today? I said it last year that why are you saving money when there are problems on ground: you don’t have food to eat and you say let me keep my yam and you are hungry. Then the day you want to eat the yam ‘kokoro’ has finished the yam.

“That is a situation we have found ourselves today; if we had used some of those money to fix Shagamu-Benin highway, it would have improved on our economy. So many people spend hours and hours on that road and nobody has gone to quantify how many man hours we lose. Now you have to travel by air either from Warri to Lagos or from Benin to Lagos and the place is always full because the roads are not good,” he said.

I’LL NOT BE DISTRACTED BY LEGAL BATTLES

Governor Uduaghan said that he would not be distracted by the ongoing legal battle challenging his victory in the April 14, 2007 general election.

Governor Uduaghan stated that he had a vision to deliver dividends of democracy to Deltans and canvassed for the support of all and sundry.

The governor said, “I hate to comment on the court ruling because as you all know that matter is still in court. But, I want to say it here and now that ruling Delta State is not a do or die affair to me. After all, I have been ruling Delta State now for almost two years. I want to assure Deltas that the court judgment will not distract me in any way, I will continue to remain focused as to move the state forward.”

On the perceived crisis in the Delta state Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the governor averred that there is no faction in the state PDP, describing the Delta state PDP as the most peaceful in the country.

In his words: “There is no problem in PDP. There is no faction in PDP. I can confidently tell you that there is no faction in PDP. It is a big party and people will definitely have issues and it doesn’t mean there are factions.

“And I can say that the PDP in Delta State is one of the most peaceful in the states of the federation. If you go to some other states and see what is happening, in fact people are not even talking at all.

“They can meet and they don’t greet at all. At public functions, they don’t greet, they don’t talk to each other. I am sure you know that it is not happening in Delta. There is nobody in Delta that I don’t relate with,” Governor Uduaghan said.

DELTA HAS 120KM OF STREET LIGHTS

Dr. Uduaghan disclosed that the beautification work that is ongoing in some major towns in the state was a continuous one, adding that the street lights project has covered a total of 120 kilometres in Asaba, Warri and environs put together.

He promised that infrastructure being put in place in the state, especially the street lights and roads being constructed would be maintained.

“Adequate arrangements have been put in place for the maintenance of these infrastructures. For instance, I drove around Warri till around 1.00 a.m. on Tuesday and discovered that some of the street lights were not working. I contacted the contractor who assured me that they were already working on them,” he said.

Governor Uduaghan said his administration would spend N3 billion for flood control in Warri, Asaba and Ughelli this year to help cushion the effect of perennial flooding in parts of the state, adding that structures built on natural waterways would be demolished in the process.