Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State is fast building a reputation, a reputation of being the most controversial Governor in the South East of Nigeria. From fraudulent Government practices under him to neglect of infrastructure and workforce management.
Recently, the former deputy governor of Imo State, Rt. Hon Gerald Irona who was reacting to the allegations of him sponsoring salary pensions made by the Uzodinma led government opened a can of worms on how he diverted and mismanaged ₦3bn Imo State Oil Producing Areas Commission (ISOPADEC) funds.
Speaking through his media aide Walter Duru, he denied the protest allegations leveled on him by Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba.
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Hon Declan Emelumba, had opened up to Newsmen in the state about how the original plan was for the demonstrators to occupy the Government House as long as necessary, but the action collapsed as a result of disagreement over the sharing of the booty made available by the former number two man.
According to him, out of the N15 million, ₦3million was initially released and later ₦2million provided on the commencement of the protest, “Some of the protesters didn’t get the money and that was when the bubble burst,” he added
The commissioner said the former deputy governor who coordinated the protest through a relation who works with one of the para military outfits, also promised to pay the balance of ₦10million at the end of the exercise.
“But the plan collapsed when the protesters turned around to protest being shortchanged by their leaders who they accused of hijacking the money released.”
According to him, when the money and food promised the mercenaries were not forthcoming, they abandoned the original plan to occupy the Government House in perpetuity.
Emelumba alleged that the former deputy governor organised the protest to embarrass the government by portraying it as incapable of paying salaries.
He said the speed with which lrona posted pictures of the protesters in the social media even when he was not physically on the scene confirmed his complicity.
Emelumba referred to the concluding part of a WhatsApp post by Irona on the NASS Legislators Forum by about 10 am on the day of the protest as clear evidence of his complicity and intention, which reads:
” Unfortunately in the last 3 months, Imo State Govt of the so called shared prosperity has withheld this money and allowed people to languish in penury”
Rt. Hon Gerald Irona, who left no details out opened up on how in the last six months the statutory allocation of ISOPADEC amounting to about N3bn has been diverted by the Imo State government.
The former deputy governor also alleged that various sums belonging to the agency in various accounts in the banks have been made away with including the sum of ₦114m which Waltersmith Petroleum provided as its counterpart funding for Awara court area electrification project, lodged at the United Bank for Africa (UBA) account of the Commission was withdrawn by the state government and has remained unaccounted for.
Another ₦200m of the Commissions funds at the same bank disappeared to an unknown destination at the instance of the government.
The former legislator also alleged that there is a grand plot to siphon the state’s funds to set off a huge debt of 12m dollars personally incurred by the governor before he came to power.
In his words, ”I don’t want to believe that Imo people’s money are being used to settle private debts.”
He expressed surprise that the Open Government Partnership and Public Procurement system introduced by former governor to capture the transactions of the government in a transparent manner was abandoned.
Rt. Hon Gerald Irona also lamented that six months into the government of Uzodinma, ISOPADEC has no management team or board, a situation he described as a design to continue the diversion of the state’s resources.
This is very painful while taking into consideration the fact that most ISOPADEC workers are being owed many months of salaries and due arrears since Uzodinma came into office.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
