Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has vowed to pursue the principles of accountability and due process so that funds released to government agencies are properly utilized and accounted for.

Dr. Uduaghan who announced this while receiving report from the State Technical Support Committee on Niger-Delta said the account of some of the Community

Development Committees in the state would be scrutinized. He said the Community Development Committees should live up to expectation and champion grass-root development rather than being a liability.

The governor promised to assess the performance of individual Development Committees and take measures to reposition them. Continuing he said “We are going to look at these bad cases because we are a government of accountability. They have to account for funds given to them.”

Dr. Uduaghan commended the technical committee for a job well done and promised to build a new town in Okerenkoko area because of the devastation suffered by the community during the recent crisis in the area.

The governor used the occasion to direct the State Head of Service, Dr. Samuel Okpokpor to work out the modality of encouraging one Mrs. Vivian Okonji for her tremendous assistance to the Technical Committee.

Dr. Uduaghan said hard-working public officers would always be encouraged while lazy and inefficient ones would be disciplined. He therefore promised to have a meeting with the staff of the NDDC Delta State Office over the report of nonchalant attitude towards work.

The governor who explained further said “This woman has distinguished herself and we are going to encourage her. Please Head of Service work out how we can encourage Mrs. Vivian Okonji.”

Presenting the report, the Chairman of the Technical Committee, Prof. Sam Oyovbaire urged the state government to bring the Community Development Committee under one Directorate headed by a civic commissioner for better performance.

Prof. Oyovbaire said three of the twelve community Development Committees in the state excelled in performance and they include Orere, Okere Urhobo and Agbarha. He indicted others especially Egbama/Opuama and Gbaramatu Committees for what he called “Leadership deficits and liability.”

The Chairman called on the state government to take urgent measures to restore credibility in some of the Community Development Committees to meet the yearning and aspirations of the people.

He expressed disappointment in the operation of NDDC Delta State Office even as he explained that their attitude to work has brought enormous difficulties in the management of NDDC.

Prof. Oyobaire therefore appealed to the governor to take more interest in the activities of the body and have a monitoring relationship with it so that Deltans would benefit more from it.