LAGOS MARCH 16TH (URHOBOTODAY)-Foremost labour leader and former National Secretary-General of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG), Chief Frank Ovie Kokori, has said that how and what the £4.2 million the United Kingdom recovered fund from former Delta state Governor, Chief James Ibori is to be used on is at the discretion of the Federal Government.
The Delta State government had in the past week faulted the diversion of the recovered loot to projects outside Delta state, claiming that the money should be returned to the State.
Kokori, a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC), said Federal Government using its discretion over what the fund be used on became necessary as all recovered looted funds given back to state government over the years are either re-looted or end up not being used for the purpose it was released.
Kokori, who spoke to journalists, weekend, at his country home, Ovu, Ethiope East local government area, Delta State, said the Federal Government could as well use the recovered looted funds for projects in Delta state as the state lacks infrastructural development.
He, however, advocated that if such funds must be released to Delta State, it should not be given directly to the Delta State government, but to be tied to projects in the state and supervised directly by the federal government.
Kokori accused the Delta State government of corruption and embezzlement, and advised that such fund should not be given to the government.
He said: “It is true the Federal Government does the negotiation for all the looted funds all over the world, and if such funds should go back to the State it was looted, it should be tied to projects in the state.”
On the APC leadership crisis in the state, Kokori said the party must have learnt its lessons and what it caused the party during the last governorship elections, and express hope that all these issues would have opened their eyes.
On the recent membership revalidation by Chief Great Ogboru and the turnout of members of the party, Kokori said he was not surprised, saying that Ogboru had always had multitude of followers and had always won elections in the State but always denied by a corrupt judiciary and INEC, even as he urged members to keep hope alive as “APC will make the difference in 2023”.
Expressday