I did not steal $6m meant for Ugborodo —Uduaghan

Governor of Delta State, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, has debunked the allegation that he connived with some persons to steal or misappropriate the $6 million meant for the take-off of New Ugborodo Town project.
Uduaghan made this known at a press conference held on Tuesday at Government House annex, Warri, Delta State.
Leading historian and Itsekiri elder, Pa Johnson Ayomike, had, in a press conference on Monday, accused the governor of conniving with some individuals to misappropriate $6 million sent by Chevron in the United States (U.S) as contribution towards the development of the Ugborodo New Town Project.
Ayomike, among other allegations, accused Uduaghan of being the brain behind the lingering crisis in Ugborodo community, particularly over the site of the Gas City Project by the Federal Government.
Governor Uduaghan however, flanked by Secretary to State Government Owuzuire Macaulay, also an official of Ecobank on Tuesday at the press conference, noted that the exact figure lodged in the bank by Chevron was not only intact, but has yielded much interest.
The branch manager of Ecobank, said to be in possession of the money in a fixed account, confirmed that the sum of N705 million was received by the bank on December 18, 2008, being an equivalent of the said $6 million, adding that over the time, the money had grown to the tune of N968, 614, 613. 42 as at press time.
Former chairman of Itsekiri Regional Development Committee (IRDC), Mofe Pira, who was in the know of the agreement during the lodgment of the money, while debunking Pa Ayomike’s allegations, corroborated the explanation made by the governor and the Ecobank manager, adding that Chevron does not release money to an individual based on the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) made with the 23 communities.
He gave the reason for the delay at the site of the New Ugborodo Town on the clandestine stealing of the huge of sand used to sand-fill the site and the insistence of Ugborodo people to be in direct control of the money directly deposited in the bank by Chevron to execute projects under the GMoU principle.
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