By Sunday Apah,
Coordinator of the Udu Positive Force, a social-economic development group of Udu sons and daughters led by Chief Galaxy Udukparobo has taken a swipe at Chief Sunny Onuesoke, a PDP Chieftain over his comments on the committee set up by the House of Representatives to probe activities of Premium Steel and Mines Limited with regards resuscitation of the plant, warning Chief Onuesoke to stop meddling in affairs of the company as the Udu people who are host to DSC are in a better position to know what the company was doing or not doing well.
Addressing newsmen at Ovwian, Delta State, Chief Udukparobo expressed disgust with the tendencies of Chief Onuesoke in meddling in matters outside his brief, warning that as ‘a very petty contractor’ to Premium Steel, he should stop at that and allow Udu handle their relationship with the company, stressing that Chief Ben Igbakpa who moved the motion on the floor of the National Assembly expressing concern with the state of the plant was more knowledgeable in the affairs of the company than Chief Onuesoke whose concern was ‘nothing but his very selfish stomach’.
‘’It is perhaps pertinent to reveal to the so called unpatriotic Urhobo PDP Chieftain who has clearly proven not to be a chieftain that Ben Igbakpa did not just act on his own volition and unschooled position about the plant.
He, unlike some petty contractors who regularly visit the Premium Steel office to sweep and cart away dirt, had overtime searched and researched extensively the true position with those Indians in the plant. We know that the true position of PDP in which Sunny claim to be a chieftain is that of patriotism and Nigerianization.
Onuesoke’s statement is tantamount to accepting a pot of porridge in exchange for his birthright.
‘’As concerned Udu people, we cannot fold our arms to watch the ray of light ignited by Igbakpa’s patriotic move to be rubbished by an irresponsible political contractor who is currently out of business since he has not been able to secure another appointment from the current administration.
Chief Sunny Onuesoke belongs to the hungry stakeholders which should be loitering around government house in addition to sweeping the floors of those Indians’ offices. To more aptly address the issues raised by Ben Igbakpa’s motion, let Sunny tell the world how many years it takes to turn around a steel smelting shop. Let him tell the media from his supposed ‘knowledgeable standpoint’ how many times steel products or rods have been sold by his employers since they took over years ago.
Let him tell the world when PSML became a steel producer and boldly tell us that it was not hastily registered for the sole purpose of the clandestine purchase of DSC to Premium Steel. Let him tell the world, why up till now, a property of the federal government was sold to a private company in total secrecy to the extent that nobody knows the extent of what was sold so much so that only Sunny Unuesoke knows how much PSML paid in exchange for the steel plant. To avoid unleashing our venom on Sunny Onuesoke who still remains our brother and our Udu tenant, let whoever knows him advise him that silence at a time like this is not only golden, not only responsible, not only patriotic but also goes a long way to hide his abysmal ignorance in this matter where he is only knowledgeable in menial jobs. He can also tell the world how many tons of steel products he has himself sold as the so-called PSML contractor.
Onuesoke made reference to some Corporate Social responsibility initiatives, he should kindly tell the world whether those projects are located in his Agbarha hometown or elsewhere? Onuesoke should stop at being the petty contractor he is and stop parading himself as a worthless interloper in matters of this nature.
‘’We wonder what the business of Onuesoke is in casting aspersion on the efforts of the National Assembly that is urging for the right thing to be done with regards to management and ownership of DSC. If the National Assembly has decided to ask questions bordering on the purchase sales agreement leading to transfer of ownership of DSC to PSML, details of the transactions and the degree of resuscitation carried out so far, no right thinking Urhobo son or daughter should question such move. Everybody is concerned with the snail-speed tendencies of Premium Steel in the resuscitation programme provoking genuine agitations from stakeholders.
‘’Does Sunny not now see his Premium Steel-sponsored press address as a height of ineptitude; and his strong reason to go by the adage, silence is golden? Must you reveal your ignorance to even those who don’t care to know? Must you reveal your un-patriotism this lavishly to your neighbours? And for how much? After all is done, the probe has been accepted by the National Assembly’’.
The group described as most despicable, the efforts of Chief Sunny Onuesoke at ‘’defending the indefensible. If he feels otherwise, Chief Onuesoke should now avoid the media and gather his fact in readiness to going to Abuja to defend PSML. As far as this group is concerned, Premium Steel has demonstrated incontrovertible inability to deliver. The company is fumbling and wobbling under the weight of the enormity of the technical, management, engineering and financial demands of resuscitating an Industrial giant like DSC.
This is no time to play politics with the interests of the Urhobo nation and indeed all Nigerians as the Jos, Oshogbo and Katsina rolling mills are all waiting for steel products from DSC to be in business.
Chief Onuesoke knows nothing about DSC and in such a situation of reinforced ignorance, silence is golden. This is a golden opportunity for Urhobo to defend their stakes in DSC. Anybody who stands in the way of reason as far as this matter is concerned shall face the wrath of the people.’’ Chief Udukparobo warned.
The statement commended Hon Ben Igbakpa for the courage in moving the motion on the floor of the National Assembly with full support from Hon Francis Waive, urging them to continue with ‘’the probe to unravel the dubious transactions that landed the company in the hands of Premium Steel and Mines Limited, a company hurriedly registered without any proven track records in steel development simply designed to rip Nigerians of their pride in the most audacious evidence of the stride of the federal government towards industrial revolution in Nigeria through DSC, an Integrated Steel Plant located in Ovwian-Aladja, Delta State. We use this medium to call on all men of good will to support this effort so that we can get our company back to production way’’, the statement added.
‘’Finally, let us point it out clearly that Hon Ben Igbakpa is of the PDP and representing Urhobo of Ethiope Constituency while Revd Francis Waive is of the APC representing Urhobo of Udu/Ughelli Federal constituency, whose interest is Sunny representing if not PSML or his stomach? We definitely know that Sunny is not representing Agbarha clan.
In fact PDP has not found him useful enough to represent Agbarha or his people, much more the larger interest of Urhobo. In this matter, who is Sunny representing?’’, the group queried.
