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| Speaker Ben Uwajimogu |
By Emeka Ahaneku
(1)
It is common knowledge that Houses of Assemblies in Nigeria,IMO HOUSE INCLUSIVE
DO NOT HAVE A BUDGET AND AS SUCH CAN NOT AFFORD TO FUND CONTRACTS
.So how can an institution that cannot fund contracts give out road contracts
in a State where the works ministry is active .
However,
it is unfortunate that some people still do not understand or just don’t want
to understand the working of a State legislature. One is baffled when a former
media aide who was supposed to be educated on legislative processes parade an
advisory letter addressed to a ministry for the sole purpose of informing the
ministry of the outcome of oversight performed on a particular project. (The
letter even has a bold inscription of HOUSE OVERSIGHT ON IT) as a letter of
award of contract by the Speaker.
For our Education, Oversight is that function of the House that has to do with
the scrutiny of Executive branch programmes like the role the House Committee
on rural roads played that aided the asphalting of many rural roads in Imo
State.
To
be able to play this role of Oversight effectively and to make sure that the funds
appropriated for projects where judiciously used for execution of
such projects, they toured all project sites for first hand information to
ascertain the name of contractor handling each project, the length and other
facts that are needed to progress on the job. The house in writing
sends the information gathered by the committee to the relevant ministries for
advisory purposes. And it is one of such letters that Uwadi and Samuelson is
marching on to say the Speaker gave contracts.
(2) Speaker employed 120 workers of which 90 of
them were ghost workers.
Was
Samuelson Iwuoha indirectly calling himself a ghost worker? The
Imo speaker has created employment for over 400 youths in various
enterprises he nurtured even before he became a legislator and
indeed has over 100 aides most of them he pays through his personal
resources in other to give our young men a chance in life. It is only men
who are poor in spirit and resources will seek to
make money through ghost workers, engaging Imo youths is not corruption.
(3) Uwajumogu
abandoned his responsibilities as a Speaker
The truth is that even the worst critic of the Imo State House
of Assembly cannot sustain any argument about the fact that the present House
of Assembly have added value; visible and demonstrable value to the system they
inherited two and half years ago by supporting his excellencies rescue
mission agenda, which required sacrifice, accountability, hard work, dedication
and sincerity to execute and fortunately in Imo State, the electorate have had
the opportunity to study the legislative arm of government since the return to
civil rule hence the difference is clear
A performing legislator is measured on speech, conduct and being
grounded on the operations of his environment. the primary functions of a
legislator are lawmaking which the present House led by Speaker
Uwajumogu has excelled, having passed over 38 life changing laws and over 131
motions in two and half years. Reprensentation which makes them the mouthpiece
of their constituents; judging from the seriousness the present lawmakers
attach to petitions or complaints from their constituencies and their ability
to attract 15 kilometer of rural roads, new school for every
electoral ward, one hospital and various other projects shows they have also
done well in this regard, Oversight to check the executive arm and ensure
that appropriation made for the development of the State are deployed for
effective service delivery, on this area the House has also done very well.
Performance of a Speaker in the legislative arm does
not lie in how far it goes fighting other arms of government, the courage to
rain abuses on the Governor or raising empty alarm to make money but of
sacrifice and maturity to dialogue with other arms to achieve the desired
result for Imo People.
(4) Funding the private businesses and NGO’s
(Development Initiative for African Youths and Development Initiative for
African Women) owned by his Sister Dr Mrs Chidinma Uwajumogu.
To mention
the Speakers Sister Dr Chidinma Uwajumogu is the height of desperation to
insult and tarnish peoples image, the pioneer national coordinator of Her
Excellency, the wife of the President federal Republic of Nigeria, Dame
Patience Jonathan’s pet project ‘’THE WOMEN FOR CHANGE INITIATIVE” is not only
a very wealthy woman but has committed her time and resources to helping
Nigerian youths and women. we are talking about a woman who has not
been able to visit the Imo State House OF Assembly since his brother
became the Speaker, A woman who is busy to the extent of
being ingarged all year long from the beginning of the year for National and
international programmes does not need the Speaker to fund her
organizations.
Summary of other allegations by Samuelson Iwuoha and Kenneth
Uwadi include as follows.
*Built a 760 Million naira crush rock industry
in Ebonyi State —
*Built an Asphalt factory in Owerri -
*Bought over 200 plots of land in Owerri —
*Bought mansions at Aba, Umuahia and Ihitte –Uboma
*Bought 15 mansions in Owerri —
*Bought 500 million naira private hotel in Abuja—
*Bought 750 million naira private hotel in Lagos
In responding to these
allegations, let me note and make it clear that these are very wild and
frivolous allegations. I
have never seen Samuelson Iwuoha and Kenneth Uwadi propaganda machinery going
into this level of overdrive just to drive it home that Uwajumogu is an
administrative fraud yet they failed to establish the source of the money used
in acquiring these fictitious properties. Maybe because Samuelson Iwuoha having
worked with the House of Assembly knows.That that the House of Assembly does not operate the way it’s
been presented to the public by him, because all facts and statements of
account are there for everybody to see in the accounts department so as
professional blackmailers they made their allegations wild, so wild
that it will be difficult for people to ascertain the truth.
They said the Speaker
acquired all this properties in two years and failed to.publish the addresses and locations of the
various multimillion naira Hotels and mansions, it will be expected that a 750
million naira hotel anywhere in Nigeria even in pricey Victoria island and
Abuja will not be hidden, and should have a prominent address, at least the
photographs would have assisted them to prove this obnoxious allegation, same
with the crush rock factory and the 200 plots of land in Owerri located at only
in an area of their imagination.
While Urging Imolites
and Nigerians at large to openly condemn these act of impunity and blackmail
designed to tarnish, misrepresent and get back at the speaker for allowing the
assembly suspend him (Samuelson Iwuoha) indefinitely, we enjoin well meaning
Nigerians to ask this questions before taking this men serious.
1 why did Samuelson
Iwuoha wait until was suspended indefinitely to come out with his allegations?
2 IF kenneth
Uwadi claims he coordinates human rights abuses and corruption, how many
employees does he have in his office on payroll? Where is his office and when
was this NGO registered? What have his NGO accomplished since
inception? How many people or groups, official etc who, because of his outburst
got convicted in Nigeria?
