By Osaretin Ekiadolor
The Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha has been fingered in the misappropriation of over N80bn Local government funds even as he has been alleged to have mortgaged Imo state to another N73bn debt to two banks.
In spite of these huge financial earning by the state and the loans collected to which the state has been mortgaged to banks, there are no development projects to suggest that the governor has interest in developing the state instead, the governor is building armed militia that may metamorphose into another national security crises.These claims were made by embattled Chairman of Ngor-Okpala LGA of Imo State and Secretary of ALGON, Imo state chapter Eyinaya Onuegbu Eze at a press conference held at the National Union of Journalists, Abuja Council, Utako.
He stated that the over 35,000 members of the Imo state workforce have been sacked by the state administration of Rochas Okorocha whose spurious development of the state has remained only on news content reported in the media. Out of the figure 10, 000 of them are members of the Local government staffers.
His words: “Since June 2011, the joint Allocation Committee, JAAC, in Imo state has not functioned and all the Statutory Allocations due to the Local Government, totaling over N80bn have been misappropriated by Gov. Okorocha.
“He has also used the allocations due to the LGs in Imo till 2013 as collateral to borrow over N45 billion.. and another N28bn.. ” respectively from two Nigerian banks
The ALGON Secretary said that the borrowings by the state under the Okorocha administration was illegal and it was not in compliance with the extant rule of state government borrowing not more than 50 per cent of their previous year’s allocation which these borrowings have surpassed.
He listed Okorocha’s mismanagement of the state to include: disregard for rule of law, fleecing the state of LG funds, crippling of rural development, asset stripping “massive Road projects Scam, Public deception, illegal armed squad and free education scam amongst others.
Calling on the federal government to nip the insecurity situation in the state in bud before it escalates into another nations security challenge, the ALGON secretary said that the armed thug are believed to have been recruited from MASSOB members most of whom are outside Imo state.
So far they have been used to intimidate and arrest council officials citing the case of Dr. Eric Ogwo, secretary, Owerri North Local Government Council and the attack yesterday assault of Eyinaya’s home in Owerri.
