By Chinonso Alozie
Owerri— Following the summons issued by the Imo State House of Assembly on some of the Transition Committee, TC, chairmen in the state, one of those affected, Mr. Chike Ojiako, Transition Committee chairman of Ehime Mbano, has raised alarm, alleging that his life was under threat.
In the last plenary of the Imo State House of Assembly, some of the lawmakers alleged that some transition committee chairmen were “rubbing shoulders with them and have insulted them on many occasions.”
This situation led to the summons on two of the 27 transition committee chairmen, Mr. Chike Ojiako (Ehime Mbano) and Mr. Peter Clinton Ihejiagwa (Orsu) to appear before the leadership of the House for defence.
Ojiako, yesterday in Owerri opened up on his invitation to the House of Assembly, alleging that the controversy surrounding the whole issue was as a result of the release of fund for the “rural road rehabilitation and construction by Governor Rochas Okorocha.”
He said: “For the past two weeks, I have maintained a respectable and studied silence in the brewing inferno with respect to the rural road rehabilitation in my local government (Ehime Mbano). This is a project initiated by Governor Rochas Okorocha that is on-going state wide.
“The project is ward and community based and not local government. Each State Development Council member (SDC) is expected to drive the process along side leaders and stakeholders in his/her respective ward.
“Problem arose when I insisted as SDC member in Umuezeala ward that the instructions of the governor be carried out, by informing and carrying my four communities along, refusing to take part of the money as instant reward in whatever form; realizing, as it were, that the road situation in our place is rather pitiable.”
Explaining how the trouble started he said,”My colleagues SDC members have refused bluntly to come along with the stakeholders in their respective wards to pick the money for their rural road rehabilitation and carry out a flag off exercise as directed by the Governor.”
“They have insisted I release the money to them personally instead, a request that goes against the rules handed over to the committee handling this exercise of which am the Chairperson.”
“I reported to the authorities and was told to do only the needful. For this am now being dragged to the State Assembly for an issue that never happened and totally unrelated to the subject matter all in a bid to pressure me into submission.”
However, the affected Transition committee chairmen are expected to appear before the Imo state House of Assembly, Tuesday being tomorrow.
Vanguard News
The post Why we’re summoned by Imo Assembly— Ehime Mbano TC chair appeared first on Hope for Nigeria.