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Uwajimogu: Imo State Assembly Speaker |
10/5/14
Chairman,
Imo State House of Assembly
Probe Panel on Fraud
At Imo Speaker’s Office
Imo State House of Assembly
Probe Panel on Fraud
At Imo Speaker’s Office
Imo House of Assembly
Owerri ,
Sir,
Re: Invitation To Appear Before A Probe Panel
I have been informed of
a second radio announcement inviting me to appear before the House of
Assembly Probe Panel on allegations of fraud against the Speaker of Imo State
House of Assembly , Rt. Hon. Benjamin Uwajimogu alongside Mr Ikenna Samuelson
Iwuoha, Trumpeta Newspaper and Newsbearer Magazine . The radio
announcement was made today 10/5/14 while I was asked to appear on 12/5/14. For
the second time no letter of invitation was dispatched to me. I was told to
come with all the evidences i have against the Speaker.
Mr Chairman I wish to
inform you that I will not honour your invitation with the following reasons:
1. That the high
stealing of Imo tax payers money by Rt Hon Benjamin Uwajumogu and some of his
aides was revealed by his former media aide Mr Ikenna
Samuelson Iwuoha and not by me. Iwuoha in his petition to
EFCC and also published in several newspapers and magazines including
online medias disclosed how fraudulent contracts for road projects
worth billions of naira were awarded by Uwajumogu and
how the Speaker used the proceeds of the crime to acquire
several eye-popping mansions and properties in Nigeria
2. That
Iwuoha’s petition was also copied to the Presidency, National Assembly
and Force Headquarters and to the Executive Governor of the State.
3. That i am a Newspaper
columnist, blogger, social crusader and civil society activist who has been
writing articles about Imo State since year 2003 and the Rt Hon Benjamin
Uwajumogu is a Public Servant, a top government official for that matter.
4. That as a social
crusader with core objectives of assisting in solving societal
problems, including the eradication of corruption, i quickly investigated the
allegations and eventually found out that 95 percent of them where true.
I even took pictures of some of the buildings and the roads constructed
by the Speaker’s company. Since then i have been writing several articles
criticizing the Speaker and calling for his impeachment. Even the Executive
Governor of Imo State His Excellency Rochas Okorocha has during one of
his assessment tours of Local Government Areas in the State confirmed
that Mr. Kodichi Anamekwe (Speakers Chief of Staff) and Mr. Dan Orji (Speakers
Special Adviser on inter-governmental matters) stole and pocketed the sum of
N18,000,000.00 and over N50,000,000.00 respectively being funds meant for
construction of roads at Ehime Mbano and Ihitte/Uboma LGAs.
5. That Section 22 of
the 1999 Nigerian constitution empowers me to demand
responsibility and accountability of the government to the people. 1999
Nigerian constitution in section 24 also pointed out that the duty
of every citizen is to make positive and useful contribution to the
advancement, progress and well-being of the community where he resides. The
right to freedom of expression is recognized as a human right under Article 19
of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and recognized in international
human rights law in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
(ICCPR).
6. That any
corruption in government and any bad policy of the government is
antithetical to the interest of the poor masses and as such any protest
against corruption or against bad policies by the media
or by activists is a protection of the people’s interest as envisaged and
guaranteed by the Nigerian constitution.The right to speak against the
bad policies of any government is an inalienable right.
7. That by setting up a
probe panel to investigate the Speaker with the Speaker's bosom friend Hon
Barrister Ikenna Emeh as chairman of the panel the Imo House of Assembly
has already taken side and is promoting the very corruption that it is
supposed to fight against. The House of assembly know the truth and should stop
deceiving the public. The properties mentioned are traceable, the roads done by
the Speaker via his company Werdis Limited are verifiable. So
what other evidences are we talking about.
8. That the Hon.
Ikenna Emeh led House of Assembly Probe Panel clearly is nothing more than a
hoax, a big make-belief. A plan to give the Speaker a clean bill of health.
This probe panel is no more than a smokescreen to divert attention from the
monumental and unprecedented corruption in the Imo House of Assembly. It is a
momentary sensation meant to deceive the public. It insults the intelligence of
Imolites and those of us who called for a probe of the Speaker. The Speaker,
under the rules of natural justice, cannot be a judge in his own case.
9. That some Nigerians
fought and died to protect our unique right of press freedom. We can't and we
won't forget that. To be an activist or a media man is not only a great
responsibility, but also a high honour and not a high crime.
10. That i did not work
with the Speaker. His boy who worked with him is the one who exposed him.
That this is a leadership failure. It is only a man who is a failure in
leadership that will be exposed in such magnitude by one of his staff. I see
the Speaker as not fit to lead the Imo House since he could not manage
his personal staff well. A good leader knows how to manage his staff. If he was
a good leader small misunderstanding in his office would not have led to them
washing their dirty soccer pants outside.
11.That It is
ridiculous that while some public office holders who are expected to be above
board but perpetrate brazen corruption are allowed to live like kings,
activists and media men who are demanding sanity are threatened . This again
shows that despite the so-called emergence of civilian rule since 1999 and
despite the struggle of the working and poor masses against dictatorship and
for good governance, some public office holding vampires who never contributed
to the termination of military dictatorship are the ones throwing the masses to
the gallows.
12. I will not succumb
to any manner of intimidation and victimization. The House should go on with
the Abacha like style of intolerance to the truth and the war
against free speech and war against the press and activists but we
will continue to speak against corruption. Nigeria is practicing democracy, not
dictatorship.
Signed
Kenneth Uwadi
Mmahu-Egbema, Imo State,
Nigeria
08037982714
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