By Our Correspondent
Following media reports that the Managing Director of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), Olorogun Williams Makinde has lavished the whooping sum of Fifty Million Naira on end of the year party for the commission staff, he has come out to refute it.
Speaking through his Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media, Prince Orhomonkpaye, he stated that he is only a victim of bad media publicity for no just cause. According to Orhomonokpaye, “the MD is too prudent to engage in such frivolities when the commission has pressing need.”
He noted that the event hosted at the Brownhill Event Centre, Ogunu cost less than Fifteen million Naira. The Media aide further argued that it is his right as well as the MD’s right to always be contacted before going to press, urging the media to be partner in progress rather than pull the board and the commissioners down.
Orhonopkpaye also refuted report that Eight Million Naira was used to host journalists in the state. He wondered what is wrong if the commission decided to be open by inviting journalists as part of the Christmas celebration. He revealed that in the past, it was not made public, but Makinde has decided to make his a general affair in line with his transparent nature of running the commission and relating with the pen pushers.
He denied spending such amount on the men of the Fourth Estate and when asked how much was actually budgeted, he confirmed that the sum of Four Million was used to buy the rice and hampers shared to all the journalists in the state.
