IRDC : Charge us to court to prove your allegation of indictment, Mofe Pirah tackles A S Mene

Former Chairman of Itsekiri Regional Development Committee, IRDC, Hon. Omamofe Joseph Pirah, has challenged Sir A. S. Mene, to charge him and other past IRDC executive members to court, to prove allegation of indictment against them.

Hon. Pirah, who spoke to Fresh Angle International Sunday November 29 via telephone in reaction to a statement credited to Sir Mene, asked: “ If we were indicted, were we part of those who came to him( A.S. Mene) for out of court settlement? “

While noting that it took him and others over one year to draft the IRDC constitution as a result of challenges associated with the formula of allocating projects’ fund in terms of oil producing and impacted communities’ quota, Hon. Pirah added that arguments from leaders of the various blocs that make up IRDC, on who gets what, contributed to delay in the registration of IRDC with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC.

“For instance, Ugborodo Community insisted they won’t be part of IRDC. Till today, sharing formula in the IRDC takes a lot of horse trading. In the Trustee Governing Council for IRDC just proposed, Omadino, Deghele and Bateren, will have one trustee each, while Ugborodo, Olero and Dibi fields will have 7, 6 and 6 representatives respectively. Leaders of Omadino, Deghele and Bateren in IRDC can’t take such document to their communities, because their people would object to it. This are the kinds of complexities we battled in our quest to register IRDC with CAC. A.S. Mene is from Jakpa Community, which does not host any Chevron facility. It was Joe Jakpa of Chevron Nigeria Limited that brought Jakpa into IRDC”, Pirah emphazized.

He noted: “Some of us thought Chief Rita Lori and the others went to court for supposed fraud in IRDC to be exposed. I told them at the EFCC office that I would personally fund the investigation if they were ready to visit the 23 IRDC communities to see the projects executed under my leadership, but till date, they didn’t show any commitment in that regard. This was after I told A. S. Mene and AVM Okorodudu in the presence of the police how disappointed I was in them. I was disappointed , because they lied before the police and couldn’t prove their allegations. “

According to Pirah, some persons in the current IRDC executive assured him sometime last year that they won’t spend IRDC money for the case, but they resolved to spend money from the General Administration, G and A account of IRDC on the case, adding that he was reliably informed that it is only 15 million naira that IRDC is owing their lawyer.

Pirah averred: “I don’t want to believe a learned man as A. S. Mene, who purport to have negotiated on behalf of Chief Rita Lori with others on the 5 % t erms of settlement, didn’t put his minutes of meeting in black and white on paper. No litigant will use IRDC money to pay lawyers. Chief Rita Lori, A.S. Mene, Engr. Victor Wood, Kennedy Ebigbeyi and others must have gotten terms of how much they would pay their lawyer (s) before embarking on such litigation. I am keenly monitoring development, to know those who partook in the controversial withdrawal of N300 million from IRDC account”.

The pioneer Delta State Commissioner for Oil and Gas, who is now Commissioner, Bureau for Special Duties, stated : “ I have asked for a conference of Itsekiri indigenes, where people on social media would have the opportunity to ask us questions on our stewardship. I believe that would correct a lot of misconceptions”.

“When I lost election in PDP primary for the Warri Federal Constituency seat, prior to the last general elections, why did he, A. S. Mene called me on phone and asked me to cross to another political party, if he believed I was indicted in the alleged IRDC leadership fraud, why did he consider me capable to represent the three Warri Local Government Areas (Warri Federal Constituency)?”, Pirah asked.

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