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Ahead of Saturday’s
visit by Jonathan Goodluck to Oghara, the hometown of James Ibori,
embattled former governor of Delta State, the Urhobo ethnic group wing
of the Delta Elders and Stakeholders Forum has described as hypocrisy
the planned commissioning of the Nigeria Navy logistic base and the
Delta State teaching hospital by the president.

The elders said
most of the projects are not priority projects, as they are not
necessarily essential to the people of the state, and that the state
government squandered tax-payers money on the projects.

Addressing a press
conference in Warri, Delta State, yesterday, the elders, led by their
Chairman, Patrick Ideh; Deputy Chairman, Godwin Ogbetuo; and Sam Kowho,
said it amounted to great hypocrisy for a state government to build a
logistics command for a federal government parastatal when the people
are dying of hunger.

“The federal
government is richer and stronger to bear the weight of expenses than
Delta State,” they said. “Yet, at the expense of Delta State which is
lacking in almost everything, the administration undertakes the
exercise of investing on the Nigeria navy logistic command which is
being handed over to the richer federal government.” The elders also
expressed displeasure aboutthe siting of the teaching hospital in
Oghara, despite the expert advice from the Nigeria Medical Association
(NMA) which warned of the long distance students have to travel between
the university campus in Abraka to Oghara.

No meaningful project

“Since the
beginning of this administration, no meaningful project has been
undertaken in the state. The projects being commissioned by the
president are old projects executed by earlier administrations,” they
said.

The elders also
cited the case of the commissioning of the Olomu and Okpare bridge,
which attracted hostile reactions from the people when the governor and
his deputy were chased away by youth in Out-Jeremi, as one example of a
meaningless exercise.

While pledging to support Mr Jonathan’s reform agenda, the group
called on the president to overhaul the current electoral system in
order to forestall electoral fraud and guarantee free and fair
elections; with one man, one vote.