Indigenous Contractors Invade Delta’s Interventionist Agency, Demand For Payment For Jobs

By Ayodele Oni

Members of Indigenous Contractors Forum in Delta State have protested against the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), an interventionist agency’s extreme poor payment for contracts executed and review of fund in line with current inflationary trend.

The Forum had scheduled the protest for January, over what the group alleged as high handedness of the board and management of the Commission for refusing to heed several appeals by members for payment for services rendered, but had to step it down due to intervention by Department of State Services (DSS) in Delta State.

After series of meetings between the contractors and the management of the Commission represented by the Chief Security Officer, the top hierarchy of the DSS directed that the leadership of the DESOPADEC meets with the angry contractors and resolved amicably the issues raised within the shortest possible time.

Following refusal of the Management of DESOPADEC to hold the meeting as directed by the DSS, the angry contractors on Wednesday is stormed the Commission’s headquarters located along Warri-Sapele road as early as 5 a.m with placards berating the management of the agency.

Some of the placards read thus: “DESOPADEC, We Don’t Want Trouble. We Need Our Money”. “Pay For Contracts Executed”. “DESOPADEC Management Feeding Fat Leaving Contractors Hungry”. We Can’t Access Management For Our Payment” and “We Are Not Playing Politics, Just Demanding For Our Rights” amongst others.

The angry contractors placed a coffin at the entrance of the Commission to express their frustrations over several efforts made to find an amicable resolution to their differences with the management.

Addressing the protesters, Chairman of DESOPADEC Indigenous Contractors Forum, Ogie Samson said his members have never had it so good since the emergence of the present Board and management of the Commission.

He said the Forum, under his leadership, had tried severally to have a meeting with the management of the Commission, since its assumption of office, to address various issues, including proper payment and variations of jobs but to no avail.

Ogie stated that he tried everything to avert the protest by managing the grievances of contractors because of lack of payment, but the board was yet to come to terms with their grievances.

Secretary of the Forum, Charles Ebigbagha lamented that it was not out of place to pay contractors for contracts executed, but that the management was terming it as anti party where as it wasn’t all members that belonged into parties.

“The Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori should intervene in this crisis to have a lasting solution to our plights.

“We tried to avert this protest but unfortunately the management might have told him we are being sponsored by a political party against him. That’s not true. We just want our payment issues to be addressed and that’s all.”