…Says Online Report Baseless, Calculated To Smear Ochor’s Image
By Nyerhovwo Oghenetejiri
The Director-General of Ochor Chris Ochor Political Group, Hon. Power Anuku, has denied reports published by an online portal which alleged that the Executive Director, Social Services Development on the board of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, (DESOPADEC), Hon. Ochor Chris Ochor, was planning to sack his aides, saying that Hon. Ochor has no such plans.
Hon. Anuku who was reacting to separate publications titled: “DESOPADEC Greed: Despite Millions Diverted, Executive Director Ochor Ochor Vows Aides Will Die In Penury”, published Tuesday 1, March 2016, and “24 Hours After Secret Reporters Exposed DESOPADEC Executive Director Ochor Ochor For Diverting Cash, He Moves To Sack Aides”, published on Wednesday, 2 March 2016 by the online portal called Secret Reporters, described the publications as false, unfounded and a very poor fabrication and calculated attempt by detractors, to bring the image and reputation of Hon. Ochor Ochor to disrepute.
He noted that while he would not join issues with the online medium, which is already carving a negative niche for itself as a purveyor of falsehood and sensationalism; he would rather engage in clarifying certain issues, establishing the facts behind the reported misinformation and ultimately setting the records straight for the general public.
According to Anuku, the group of aides working with Hon. Ochor, which also includes the Special Assistants SA’s, had unanimously agreed that since the law establishing the Commission had stipulated only one space for a Special Assistant to the Executive Director, they would all be amenable to an arrangement where the salary is shared amongst all of them to accommodate everyone and ensure that not only one person among the lot will benefit from the appointment, since they had all worked collectively for the success of their Principal.
He said, “This arrangement had been done in good faith and was agreed by all the three SA’s involved, who embraced the proposition by consensus and proceeded to see to its implementation subsequently.
“It was not meant to short change anybody, but rather to get more people empowered. It will interest you to know that the highest paid person in the arrangement receives N150, 000.00 monthly (One hundred and fifty thousand naira only), while the furniture allocation is disbursed among the same persons according to their hierarchy in the administrative structure.”
On the issue of the official car, the Director General of the Ochor Ochor Political Group, noted that even Hon. Ochor Ochor himself had not been allocated an official vehicle for his office as the Executive Director, Social Services Development, DESOPADEC, as at the time of the misleading publication by Secret Reporters, the Commission has not even released any cars to the Assistants to the Executive Directors, wondering why anyone would claim that he was trying to divert the car and buy a different car for his Special Assistant, a matter that had not even been addressed.
“Why should he divert the official car of his Aide to his wife, when in the first place, he had not even received his own car and even at that, the wife still drives a Prado Jeep car?”, he queried.
While urging the publishers of Secret Reporters to go to the Commission and verify his claims instead of relying on gossip, half-truths and baseless rumours from disgruntled elements, the DG
dismissed all the allegations against Hon. Ochor as false and called on media organizations to always cross check stories sent to them before publication.
Speaking further, Mr. Anuku confirmed that Hon. Ochor Ochor has already engaged almost 50 persons from his mandate area in DESOPADEC, putting them directly under his pay roll and has already set machinery in motion to explore more empowerment and employment opportunities as well as capacity building and skills acquisition opportunities for his people.
He then stressed that when it comes to issues of his love for genuine empowerment of his people and followers, Hon. Ochor has vowed to use his office to improve the welfare of the oil producing communities and bring more dividends of democracy to his people, in line with the prosperity for all Deltans objective of Governor Okowa’s administration.
Hon. Anuku added that Hon. Ochor Ochor does not now see himself reneging on his vow by contemplating on sacking his aides because of mere allegations which are absolutely laughable, as published by Secret Reporters.
