Delta Assembly Committee On Works Probes Alleged Sales Of Serviceable Equipments In DLA

The Delta State House of Assembly Committee on Works on Tuesday, December 17, 2019 continued it probe of alleged illegal sales of serviceable heavy duty construction equipments at the State owned Direct Labour Agency, DLA.

The committee members had discovered during the 2020 budget defense session with the management of the agency that some of its serviceable machineries acquired for road construction and maintenance in the state were illegally auctioned by the last board of the agency, hence the probe.

The Chairman of the Committee, Hon Emeka Nwaobi while addressing stakeholders at the meeting held at the State House of Assembly premises in Asaba, reiterated the commitment of the House towards ensuring that the state recovers all illegally sold properties.

The Lawmaker said there has been public outcry on the auctioning of the DLA equipments by the last board, stressing that the process of the transactions was not only said to be faulty, but most of the auctioned equipments were serviceable and still very useful and needed in the agency’s operations.

Hon Nwaobi, flanked by three other members, including Hon Emmanuel Sinebe, Mathew Opuoru and Solomon Ighrakpata, disclosed that his Committee had already established that general auctioning of state government’s properties should not involve DLA as the law that set it up retained ownership of all equipment and other properties to the agency.

The Lawmaker decried the manner at which the last board operated against the ambit of relevant laws in the state including that establishing the Direct Labour Agency in the alleged auctioning of the equipments.

He expressed concern that the immediate past Director General of the agency, under whose administration the sales were made, Rt. Hon Franc Enekerogha had on severally failed to honor the invitation of the committee.

Hon Nwaobi explained that due to his absence, most of the issues could not be fully addressed, as the former DG needed to provide useful information on allegations made.

The Lawmaker therefore adjourned the next meeting of the committee to January, even as he directed the auctioneer and DLA board to submit copies of requested relevant documents to the secretariat of the committee on or before Friday this week.

He stressed that the Committee would recover the illegally auctioned equipments and solicited the cooperation of all relevant stakeholders.

The Director General of the Agency, Mr Precious Ajaino who led other board members of the board of the agency to the committee sitting, had expressed the readiness of the present board to recover the equipments as they were very useful to the operations of the agency.

Some of those involved in the auctioning wer exercise also present at the sitting of which those called up on gave account on their various involvement in the exercise.