Ibori thanksgiving: We did not collect N350m from Okowa — Organisers

ORGANISERS of Ibori Freedom Thanksgiving Service Committee for former governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori have denied the alleged donation of N350 million from the state government.

An online medium (not Tribune Online) had, on Friday, reported that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State had authorised the release of N350 million to fund the church thanksgiving service and reception holding Sunday, February 12 at First Baptist Church, Ogharefe, the country home of Ibori.

Ibori, in whose honour the thanksgiving service is being organised, was released from prison in the United Kingdom (UK) December 21, 2016, after serving a 13-year jail term over charges bordering on corruption and money laundering.

He returned to Nigeria February 4 amid a tumultuous reception in Oghara, headquarters of Ethiope West Local Government Area by friends, political associates and residents of the state.

Speaking to Tribune Online on the alleged N350m largess from the state government, Publicity Secretary of the Ibori’s Freedom Thanksgiving Service Committee, Chief Henry Ofa, described the report as false and a deliberate attempt to malign Ibori as well as drag the name of Okowa and his government into disrepute.

Ofa wondered why “some people would just sit in their offices and cook up claims that are false, spurious and malicious.”

According to him, “there is nothing like that and the state government has no role to play in the event.”

“I laughed when I read the report. Who received the N350 million? To be specific, the entire process of the thanksgiving service costs less than N3 million and the whole fund is being sourced internally.

It is neither being funded by the state government nor Ibori, it is the community members who are sponsoring the thanksgiving service.

There is no arrangement for an after service reception. So, for anyone to cook up such cheap lies, I think it is most unfortunate,” Ofa, who was a former commissioner of DESOPADEC, stated.

On his part, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Okowa, Mr Charles Aniagwu, who was contacted on the alleged N350m on phone, said he would not dignify the publishers of the story, which he described as lacking in credibility, with an official response.

According to him, the state government would not be distracted nor spend its scarce resources in reacting to cooked up stories at the expense of government’s renewed commitment to the ongoing development in every nook and cranny of the state.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the thanksgiving committee, Chief Emmanuel Ighomena, has taken a swipe on the publishers of the report, noting that such huge sum of money was not needed to thank God for bringing Ibori back safely from prison.

“We chose to celebrate him and thank God for keeping him alive, but people from other kingdoms have also shown interests in the thanksgiving service because they believe Ibori is not only an Oghara man.

This is the first ceremony I have seen that people are willing to attend without being invited.

We don’t need millions of Naira to thank God; the event is not about food but about God’s word.

The whole event shows that Ibori’s name alone pulls a large crowd. The peasants and ordinary men are Ibori’s supporters; everyone is following him and that is the strength of the man,” he noted.

In the meantime, plans are in top gear to ensure that the thanksgiving service billed for Sunday is hitch-free.

Tribune Online gathered that the event will hold at the First Baptist Church, Ogharefe, at 10:00am prompt and prominent personalities, including traditional rulers from the state, are expected at the occasion.