Interpol Systems Consultant and security expert, Sir Chikwe Udensi has urged the Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti to separate the good work he is doing in the state from unfounded allegations against his predecessor, Okezie Ikpeazu.
He expressed worry over the laxity at which the state government is treating the alleged embezzlement of N107 billion Abia money by the immediate past government, wondering why the governor has not presented evidence to back his claim.
Governor Otti while speaking to some Abia people in the United States recently said, “N79.3 billion naira was paid to seven Contractors for contracts that were not executed at all. Another 15.9 billion almost 16 billion was paid to 63 contractors with no supporting documents anywhere. Another 13 billion naira was paid to two contractors for contracts that do not exist out of these figures, and 10 billion naira was on September 25, 2020, paid to some contractor for the construction of Abia State Airport.”
In his reaction during a live programme on Love FM and ABN TV, Udensi, a chieftain of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) said he is not taking the state government very seriously in such allegations, saying there are pieces of evidence to prove that similar allegations made by the same government in the past have proven not to be true.
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“Some of the organizers of the Governor’s Trip to America are very close to me and known to me. What I asked for is the full record of the whole proceeding, not just what the Governor said. However, I’m a bit disturbed that a matter like this is being treated with trivial attitudes. I’m concerned that N107 billion is alleged to have been embezzled and we’re talking about some contractors and using native knowledge to go and locate the airport. We must get serious.
“107 billion? By now we should have commenced a full investigation and all those who are responsible for such heinous arrangements should be in detention if the proper process is taken. What do I mean by proper process, the crime is said to have been committed in Abia State, the alleged suspects are all in Abia State, the investigation was done in Abia State, then the announcement of the results of the investigation was done in the United States of America,” he said.
He added, “You recall that when the governor came in, he indicated that he’s going investigate the regimes that were before him. We were expecting an investigation from 1999 to 2023, but he chose only the Ikpeazu administration to investigate.
“You’ll recall that on open parliament, I criticized it because I was not comfortable with it. When you seem to specify your level of interest, people may become suspicious of what actually your interest is.
“Again given the fact that everybody must remain innocent until proven guilty, you cannot insist by any imagination that anybody is a criminal. Look at what’s happening in social media right now, the trial is going on social media.
“In Investigation, when you see any of the security agencies start media trial on a case, then they have no case. Go and check it, go and check records. Once they leave the court where you ought to take your matter to and go to the media, you’re playing to the gallery and people like us cannot take you seriously because nothing can be eviler than an accusation that denies the accused the right of defence,” he said.
Udensi frowned against what he termed media persecution of the immediate past government, instead of judicial prosecution, stressing that if anybody is accused, in all honesty, they are allowed to defend themselves before anybody can come out and call them evil.
He said that the fact that he is not in agreement with certain decisions and actions of the Alex Otti-led administration does not mean that the administration is not doing well in the area of Infrastructure and went ahead to commend the Governor for the achievements so far.
“Let’s look at the things that have happened in Abia State, there are things that make me not take all those records I see seriously because I personally have reasons to question some of the things that are being done in my state. That doesn’t mean that my Governor is not doing well in the area of Infrastructure. I’ve commended him because he’s doing very well in the area of Infrastructure, but there are things that ought to be done and done properly.
“You remember that about 5,000 ghost workers were found, the Governor himself announced it and we said for 5000 ghost workers to be collecting salaries in Abia State without working is a heinous crime. Billions were being paid to them according to the Abia State government and we said, these ghost workers in Abia State are being paid through a bank account, let’s have the bank account.
“It should be published so that first of all, we can make a mockery of those whose names are there. Nobody can open an account with the necessary requirements like BVN etc. So, these 5,000 ghost workers, how were they being paid? Were they being paid cash? Let’s find out that we have an honest disposition of a government that will give proper information.
“That’s why some of us are very skeptical about the 107 billion that has gone to the press for prosecution. We were told that we’ve cleared nine years of arrears of pension, only for us to realize that only %40 were being paid to them for the past nine months. What they’re doing right now is the balance of %60 which is what they owed throughout the nine months that they’ve been in government.”
