Agiru not leaving post completely

SOUTHERN Highlands Governor Anderson Agiru is not taking leave from office for two years as reported in The National on Monday.
Neither has he handed over his position as governor completely to his deputy, Pr Isaac Joseph, as reported, Mr Agiru clarified yesterday.
Mr Agiru announced last week that Cabinet has entrusted him with a huge task last November to sell treasury bonds to raise K600 million to fund commitments made under the umbrella benefits sharing agreement signed in Kokopo last year.
This is over and above the State’s commitment of K2 billion over 10 years.
The K600 million would be used to fund the Gulf to Southern Highlands Highway, the Kikori to the North Coast Highway, the Kikori Wharf, the Hela city, Tari to Komo Highway and townships at Mendi, Ialibu, Komo, Kutubu, Koroba, Lake Kopiago and Nipa.
Raising these funds would require a large part of his time and so at times when he was away, Mr Agiru has delegated Pr Isaac to perform all tasks, responsibilities and decisions that would normally be performed by the governor.
He would be ably assisted at such times by Komo-Margarima MP, Francis Potape.
Mr Agiru remains governor and that role and all responsibilities would revert to him whenever he was in the province.
The present arrangement has been done so that urgent restoration, rehabilitation and reconstruction work programmes and projects already begun in the last two years are not held up or delayed.