By Iteveh Ekpokpobe
A new Secretary to State Government, Mr. Patrick Ukah has been, Monday, sworn into office by the Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa.
The swearing in followed the dissolution of state executive council by the state governor which included sack of all commissioners, special advisers, the secretary to the state government, chief of staff to the governor, and the senior political adviser, in a bid to douse the rising political tension in the state, many political pundits allege.
The newly sworn Ukah will be moving into a properly renovated and furnished office, official residence and guest house, The Union Nigeria reports.
Documents available to The Union Nigeria, reveals that about N70 million was expended by the immediate past secretary to Delta State Government, Mr Chiedu Ebie, on the ‘face lift’ of the office, official residence and guest house of the SSG.
In a memo with file number SGD.449/T3/163 and tracking number 60479193, signed by the immediate past SSG, Mr. Chiedu Ebie on 11 September 2020, the sum of N48,691,513.51 million earmarked for the renovation of the office of the secretary to the state government, Asaba.
The memo was titled renovation, furnishing, equipment and associated works for the office of the secretary to the state government.
Meanwhile, earlier in a memo with tracking number 3921891, titled ‘renovation of the official residence and guest house of the secretary to the state government’, a total of thirty one million, one hundred and fifty thousand naira (N31,150,000) was earmarked.
Although The Union Nigeria was unable to ascertain at press time, whether the office renovation was completed, a source in the office of the SSG confirmed that the residential quarter was completed.
Efforts to the reach the immediate past SSG, Mr Ebie for confirmation at press time proved abortive as text messages and calls were neither replied nor received.
