By Victor Otuya
Asaba
THE President General of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), Chief Joe Orode Omene has said that the union was working on a proposal to establish a pan Urhobo Bank, woo Dangote Group and other big investors to the Urhobo nation as well as see to how to revitalise all ailing industries in Urhobo nation.
Chief Omene who spoke to newsmen during a press conference also dismissed as baseless and blatant falsehood the allegation by some members of his Executives that he embezzled the sum of N1.2b allegedly given to the UPU, by former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to support his presidential aspiration during the last 2015 general election, saying that it was only a fool that would believe such concocted story.
He said his accusers were only seeking power through the back door and were only trying to give a dog a bad name to hang it. He said he was ready to take on anybody on matter of finance accruing to the UPU and other matters of accountability and probity.
He said that there was no way he could have collected such a huge amount from the former President without a witness since he was not the PDP Chairman in Uroboh, adding that there was no way anyone could carry N1.2b in cash without Bullion Van and Police escort.
He said he wondered how his accusers came up with the story, saying, “if the President gave Urhobo N1.2b, how much did he give to the Ijaws, Aniomas, Isokos, Itsekiris and other ethnic group across Nigeria and how much was the total budget of President Jonathan’s 2015 campaign?”
According to him, the story of the alleged embezzlement was a figment of the imagination of people he said were in a hurry to pursue their ulterior agenda, adding their jealousy had beclouded their reasoning and that they could not get their facts together.
The UPU helmsman said that he had been probed but nothing incriminating was found against him.
“They have cross checked my bank accounts and all my transaction, which ordinarily I shouldn’t succumb to. But because of leadership and wanting to lead by example I allowed them and nothing was found against me.”
Chief Omene described his accusers as lazy people who do not mean well for the progress of the Urhobo nation, noting that since coming on board, the Secretary General of UPU has never prepared a meaningful minute of meetings on a clean sheet for him to counter sign.
The UPU President General said he has done much for the UPU and would not want to join issues with those who didn’t want the progress of the Urhobo, adding that his major preoccupation was how to unite all sons and daughters of the Urhobo nation for the meaningful and sustainable development of the area now that the elections are over.
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