Delta State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has raised questions over the sale of Delta Steel Complex (DSC), set up with $1.5 billion but believed to have been sold at $30m under the supervision of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar while he was Nigeria’s vice president.
Commissioned by then President Shehu Shagari in 1980, the complex was one of the largest steel plants in Africa, and a legacy project.
At Orhuwhorun, Enerhen and Ugboroke during his ongoing ward-to-ward campaigns on Thursday, Omo-Agege fumed at sale of DSC, especially as he said that the successor seemed not ready for business.
Omo-Agege, who is also the Deputy President of the Senate, described situation at the steel complex as “unacceptable, because it has destroyed the economic livelihood of the area, and rendered the people even poorer”. He promised to revisit the issue when he becomes governor.
He also criticised the state governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, who is Atiku’s running mate, for “selling out Delta State and the south, just as Atiku betrayed Delta with the sale of DSC.
“We need companies to come here and create jobs for our youths and I will revisit the DSC issue when I become governor. The era of PDP is gone, the era of Okowa and Sheriff is past.
“Now we need a new government; a government that has concern for the interest of the people. I commit to you that I will construct a bridge from Enerhen waterside to Opete. I also commit that when I become governor, I will construct a flyover at Enerhen junction to decongest the traffic there”.
Former high profile members of PDP, among who are billionaire businessmen, Chief Morrison Olori; former Education Commissioner, Mrs Veronica Ogbuagu; and Engr. John Uviejitobor decamped to the APC.
