Abuja — The Pan Niger Delta Forum has faulted the response of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to the allegations by an elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, that his administration mismanaged N250bn Oil Derivation Funds so far paid to it by the President Muhammadu Buhari government.
Clark had at a prPANDEF to Okowa: A Child Well Brought Up Doesn't Exchange Words With Father Publiclyess conference on Thursday last week, alleged that the Okowa administration had not been able to sufficiently justified the N250bn 13 per cent oil derivation paid to the state so far from 2015 till date.
He also accused the Governor of allegedly betraying his colleagues by conveying a meeting of southern governors which agreed that power must shift to the South in 2023 but went behind them to accept the vice presidential ticket from the Peoples Democratic Party standard bearer, Atiku Abubakar, who is from the North.
Okowa, who responded to Clark's allegations through his media aides, however, accused the 96 year-old man of fanning embers of disunity in Nigeria.
But a statement by PANDEF through its National Publicity Secretary, Ken Robinson, on Sunday, reprimanded Okowa for exchanging words with an elder publicly instead of providing answers to the posers raised by Clark.
"He (Okowa) was given an opportunity to redeem his soiled image, but rather than devoting time to conscientiously reflect on the issues raised in Chief's letter and re-consider his ways, he embarked on a futile campaign, through commissioned proxies, to disparage our leader, which could be likened to one throwing pebbles into an ocean hoping to create ripples.
"Nonetheless, PANDEF gives Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, 48 hours to retract and withdraw his attacks on Chief Clark in his own interest. In the same way that we started this statement, let us remind Governor Ifeanyi Okowa that, a child that is well brought up does not exchange words with his father when scolded in the public," PANDEF said.
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The statement faulted Okowa for accusing Clark of causing disunity and explained that the elder stateman, as a federal commissioner after the civil war, carried out many programmes and policies which successfully unified Nigeria.
Part of the statement read: "Governor Ifeanyi Okowa needs to be acquainted with an African proverb that says 'when your father scolds you in the public, a well-brought up child, does not exchange words with him, but goes home to reflect on the words of the old man'
"At nearly 96, Chief Senator (Chief) Dr. E.K. Clark, OFR, CON is not only our national leader and elder statesman, but, more significantly, is old enough to be a father and even grandfather to most of us.
"PANDEF, thus, finds it stunning that less than 24 hours after Chief Clark wrote an open letter to the governor, raising various troubling issues, he, Ifeanyi Okowa and his media attack dogs, have been quick to reply him; avoiding answers to the veracity of the issues raised, but dwelling on the towering image, integrity and personality of this great national icon.
"As a regional body, that represents the interests of the people of the entire Niger Delta, PANDEF is compelled to note that the responses, on the matter, by Okowa's Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, and other sycophantic liegemen, are thoughtless and disingenuous. It would even become more worrying if the invectives from the 'attack dogs. signify Governor Okowa's true inner reflections," PANDEF said.
