By Victor Nwachukwu
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), says former Enugu state Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is neither in hiding nor being probed for fraud.
Mr Emmanuel Onwubiko, the National Coordinator of HURIWA, made the disclosure in a statement issued and made available to newsmen in Owerri, on Monday.
Onwubiko said that contrary to reports circulating in the media that Ugwuanyi was in hiding, HURIWA’s team recently met with the former governor at his private residence, an evidence that the rumours and reports were false.
He added that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is in the best position to state whether or not it was probing any individual or entity for alleged fraud or misappropriation of taxpayers’ fund.
According to him, the anti-graft agency has not initiated any move most likely because of Ugwuanyi’s enviable track records as governor.
“Ugwuanyi’s achievements are open for all to see. For instance, a mid-2019 report by the National Bureau of Statistics named Enugu as one of the six states in Nigeria, which recorded the highest net gains in full-time employment over the years.”
“ Under Ugwuanyi’s watch, Enugu was also rated by the Financial Derivatives Company as one of Nigeria’s Most Financially Stable states alongside Lagos and Kano states.
“During his time, Ugwuanyi carried out reforms in the state’s Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which jerked up the internally generated revenue from N14 billion in 2016 to a record over N30 billion before he left office,” he said.
He further said that Ugwuanyi’s diligent implementation of business reforms resulted in the state’s recognition for the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) awards 2019 by former Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo.
“HURIWA’s team was in the former governor’s private home in Enugu and there is no truth in the rumours of his arrest.
“Ugwuanyi is a statesman and patriotic Nigerian committed to nation-building and he will never run away when he has no skeleton in his cupboard,” he said. (NAN)
