Date Published: 04/13/11

How Contractors loot billions in Delta State
…Efe Osuwa, Uche Okpunor, Victor Ochei, Levant, Setraco, Southgate and U.L.O named in the Multi-Billion Naira Contract Scam

Emmanuel Uduaghan

There is massive looting of Delta State resources by unscrupulous, and rogue contractors, running into billions of naira.

Pointblanknews.com sources in Asaba hinted that the some of those very notorious ones who get most of the juicy contracts, are Southgate owned by Efe Osuwa, Uche Okpunor’s U.L.O Construction, Setraco , Levant Construction, and Davnoj run by a member of State’s House of Assembly, Victor Ochei.

What worries observers is why some of these rogue contractors still collect billions from state officials even when it is evident they have not delivered.

According to our investigations, Okpunor’s U.L.O was awarded the multi billion naira airport project in 2008 by the Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s administration. The initial sum was about N9 Billion which was paid in full.

U.L.O, moved to site, did some shoddy job, and abandoned the project, but to the chagrin of observers the state did an upward review of the project from N9 Billion to N18 Billion today. Even at that, Okpunor pocketed the cash and abandoned it yet again.

Pointblanknews.com learnt that Okpunor was a cronie of former Governorship aspirant, A.C Okocha and a lackey of Ex Governor James Ibori, who threw juicy contracts his way when he held sway in Delta.

Okpunor, according to sources, has become so wealthy at the expense of the Delta people. He owns the multi-billion naira Saint Luke’s Hospital, U.L.O Suites worth hundreds of millions, and a massive mansion worth hundreds of million in Asokoro, Abuja.

Osuwa’s Southgate, got over N250 million and varnished. The project was for the supply of portable machines used to retail recharge cards. This was supposed to be shared to selected youths as part of Uduaghan’s youth empowerment programme. The jobless youths were supposed to get the machine , get some take of grants of N30,000 each, and make returns after profit.

Setraco, got N900 Million for one phase of the Ughelli dualization project, while Levant , got N6Billion for the Koko dualization project. Both firms have abandoned the projects long time ago.

Ochei used Davnoj to rip the state of N2 Billion under the pretext of providing street lights in few places, and for supply of Christmas decorations, till date Davnoj has not delivred a single item.

One member of the Delta House of Assembly, Daniel Mayuka had been at war with these slimy contractors and their cronies in government. Mayuka who is chairman, Appropriation committee, has done all he could to block loopholes but failed.