I write to condemn in
absolute terms the silence of the Imo State House of Assembly over the heavy
corruption allegations levelled against the Speaker of the Imo House of
Assembly Chief Benjamin Uwajumogu by Mr Ikenna Samuelson
Iwuoha. Iwuoha, an activist and former Aide of the Speaker last
month revealed to the whole world the Speaker’s reckless and
massive looting of the Imo treasury.
In his testimony
made available to media men, Mr Iwuoha , who worked under Uwajumogu for 3 years
, disclosed how fraudulent contracts for road projects worth
billions of naira were awarded by his former boss without due
process to the extent that some of his aides were equally
awarded road contracts. Also Uwajumogu’s friends who were
residing abroad were asked to return home, which they did and road contract
were given to them as fronts even though they never had any experience in road
contract assignment and execution. Asphalt materials for the road contracts
were also procured from plant in Owerri owned by
the Speaker. As usual the Speaker’s Media Aide has called Iwuoha
all sorts of names saying that he was making cacophonic
noise.
For all the attention
that Iwuoha’s revelation has elicited, not one member of the Imo State
House of Assembly, as far as I know felt outraged enough to call for
a probe. None of the State’s law makers seems curious to find out who
stole what as mentioned by Iwuoha. None cared to find out how
monies were diverted, and where some of them may be found. I have
heard no disenchanted murmurs from any of them. Ralph Miliband once
said that the hottest place in hell will be reserved for those who sit on the
fence in the face of great moral crisis. Albert Einstein on his part said that
the world is a dangerous place, not only because of those who do evil, but
because of those who look on and do nothing.
The silence of the
Members of the Imo House of Assembly over the fraud in the
Speakers office is not acceptable. We must reject corruption. We must not
accept it as normal. Corruption is like cancer . Cancer makes
lives exceedingly miserable. Corrupt politicians are punishing the rest of
us. They don't show respect to the common good of the citizens,
thereby retarding development. Corruption in public office in all
its manifestations is a dehumanizing evil force that must be fought with all
the energy that we can muster. We must not allow Imo State to be painted as a
State that tolerates or even encourages corruption.
I call on
the leadership of the Imo State House of Assembly to constitute a probe panel
that will investigate the allegations levelled against the office of the
Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly by Mr Iwuoha. If
the Leadership of the House fails to constitute a probe panel to investigate
the Speaker and invite Iwuoha to tender his evidences then the
whole world can agree with me that the Members of the Imo House of
Assembly are indeed the 27 thieves that I have been talking
about.
The Imo State House of
Assembly Speaker has tons of questions to answer. He should tell us how
he got the money he used in acquiring an asphalt plant six
months after he became speaker. He should tell us how he got the money
to acquire eye popping mansions at Aba, Umuahia and Ihitte
-Uboma. He should tell us how he got the money to buy 15
mansions in Owerri. He should tell us why he converted the Imo State
Abuja Liason Office to his own private use of which he spent 500 million naira
in turning it into a private hotel. He should tell us how he got the money to
build a 750 million naira private hotel in Lagos. He should
tell us why he is using the Imo Assembly money in funding the
private businesses owned by his Sister Dr Mrs Chidinma
Uwajumogu. He should tell us why he abandoned his
responsibilities as Speaker and went outside his confinement of
duties to award road contracts to himself via his friends and to
inexperienced contractors in Imo State.
We are talking
about stealing from public coffers which is a crime against the
progress of Ndi-Imo. We must oppose legalized official looting
wherein political officers loot the state dry. We must fight all those that are
insensitive to the plight of Ndi-Imo. Uwajumogu is looting billions
of Imo tax payers money in a state where 80% of her citizens live on less than
600 naira per day, in a state that has almost 10,000 children
on the streets-children without parental care, without shelter. I call on
Organizations and individuals in Imo State including Labour Unions, Trade
Unions, Human Rights Groups, Staff Unions in Universities, Students Unions,
Youth Groups, Activists and Socialists, locally and internationally to join
me in demanding a probe of the allegations
against Speaker of the House and if he is found guilty, he should be
removed and prosecuted with the aim to reclaim all monies looted in order to
massively invest it in education or health care or even roads that
will eventually create jobs to wipe out poverty.Save us o’ God.
-Kenneth Uwadi,
Mmahu-Egbema, Imo State, Nigeria
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