The Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has signed the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission amendment bill into law.
The bill was signed by the governor in the presence of the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Monday Igbuya and the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Friday Osanebi, other principal officers of the House as well as the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Festus Agas.
Okowa noted that the amendment bill went through a rigorous process, saying it would tackle the challenges of oil-producing communities of the state.
“You have just witnessed the signing into law of the DESOPADEC amendment bill 2015 to the original law of 2006 establishing the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission,
He was quoted in a statement to have said, after the signing of the bill, that the amendment bill was forwarded to the House of Assembly in the course of the administration a few weeks ago and “we want to thank God that the House has completed the process of passing into law the amendment bill of 2015 to the original DESOPADEC law.
“There was a lot of interest when this bill was presented to the House of Assembly and as is customary of Delta people who are very bright and vibrant, a lot of people showed interest and they had the opportunity to contribute their quota towards a robust commission.”
He added, “I want to thank God that the Delta State House of Assembly took the bill to public hearing and Delta people who made their contributions to enrich the bill. There was a lot of engagement and misconception that arose from the fact that some people did not even know what was in the original law and did not know what was contained in the amendment bill that was sent to the House.”
The governor said the bill was in the best interest of Delta State and the oil-producing communities in particular.
He stated that “through this law, we are now establishing a management team for the DESOPADEC which will meet with the expectations for which the commission was initially established, membership of the board remains but now, we have brought in a management structure that can see us through to the future of the commission that we all desire, a commission that will be structured to impact positively on the lives of our people in terms of infrastructural development, social services and economic services.”
The governor, while commending members of the Delta State House of Assembly for their proactive approach to law-making, called on them to continue to stay vibrant and ensure that they continue to collaborate with the executive arm towards impacting more positively on the lives of Delta people.
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