Date Published: 08/26/10

Ohakim: The New Fraud of Imo

Gov. Ikedi Ohakim

Governor Ohakim assumed office with such pomp and panache that reinvigorated hopes and enthusiasm in the minds of Imo people who had been cruelly short-changed in the immediate past; but the present nostalgic feeling of that forgettable past is a testament that the governor has performed more in words than in action

Two months after the promise of 10,000 jobs to unemployed citizens of Imo State by the state government, the people who applied for the job are still waiting for the state government. The job offer, which elicited criticism from cross sections of the country, began on May 10. Prospective applicants were expected to pay N2000 to any of the approved banks for a scratch card and apply online. The exercise was expected to last six weeks but was later extended by two weeks. This was said to have raked in over N125 million to the state government from the over 50,000 persons who applied for the jobs. A source at the Government House Owerri however, told this magazine that some people have been invited for aptitude test.

This is not the first time the people of the state believe they have been hoodwinked by government for non-existent jobs. In August 2009, the Imo job centre, described as a novelty in the state, advertised for jobs for Imo indigenes in far away Dubai. The centre, was headed by Professor Obioma Iheduru. The applicants were made to pay N460, 000 to Imo Job Centre’s Diamond Bank Account No: 0172130000801. This includes provision of employment visa, three years resident/work permit, a job with a salary of US$1500 dollars, accommodation and air ticket. The applicants were assured that every bit of their money would be refunded with interest if such jobs were not provided.

But 11 months after, only a two-week visa was issued to successful applicants. They were however, promised that the entry visa would be extended by three months when they arrive the Promised Land. “After spending some days in the hotel without hearing from the director of the Imo Job Centre, Professor Obioma Iheduru, we decided to call him on phone. Each time we called him, he kept promising that money will be remitted to us through his consultant. We discovered that there was no job arrangement of any sort for us in Dubai,” one of the applicants told this magazine. They were rescued by the Nigerian  Ambassador in Dubai who asked one Nasir, an embassy staff, to send them back to Nigeria, all at their own expense.

Two weeks ago, the youths disrupted the reception organised by the state government for the visiting Nigerian first lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan at Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri. They had shut down the centre after waiting
in vain for Professor Iheduru who promised the refund of their money. They were told that a cheque issued by the consultant, Hat Aviation, for refund of their money would mature the previous day. “This transaction has lingered far too long for comfort, making us wonder if they are really sincere with us. We have reported to all the relevant authorities and got no response
whatsoever. Even the ICPC has not shown much signs of seriousness.
We are angry because they are dilly-dallying about refunding us, while we have learnt that they are refunding some of our colleagues secretly and selectively. This is one year now and we still have nothing to show for all our troubles,” one of the applicants told journalists. About 40 youths were involved in the failed trip to Dubai. Twenty other applicants who were unable to complete the N460, 000 payment have been refunded their money.
The centre however, said they were not responsible for a batch of 14 applicants who embarked on the trip after the centre cancelled the trip following the tales of Uchenna Onwukwe and Ugwunna Nwachukwu, the first two that landed in Dubai finding no jobs waiting, no  accommodation, no work or resident permits as contained in the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, signed with the Imo Job Centre. Most of the youths said they had to sell plots of lands and vehicles, close up their businesses and even borrow money at very abominable interest rates to be part of the failed trip.

This is not the only crime Governor Ohakim’s administration has been accused of. The government is also accused of lawlessness. Dr. Alex Obi, a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ohakim’s party, accused the administration of lawlessness and flagrant disobedience to court orders. “To say the least, the decision of Governor Ohakim to go ahead with the elections in defiance of court orders and party directives remains an affront to both the PDP leadership and the judiciary. This must be addressed by the party leadership and the courts whose orders have been flagrantly violated,” Obi who is from Mbaise stated. Imo State conducted election into its 27 local government areas last week. The opposition was said to have gone to court to stop the election. But this was not obeyed. The administration was also accused of embarking on projects which have no effect on the people. For instance, the governor’s “clean and green initiative” aimed at beautifying Owerri, the state capital to restore its aesthetics, is widely criticsed for not producing results. Owerri is said to be dirtier than before the introduction of the scheme. Stephen Nwahiri, an indigene of the state living abroad who visited the state recently observed that “no refuse has been lifted from the over-filled gutters in Owerri since Ohakim came on board in 2007.” Nwahiri said all the drainages in the metropolis were blocked by refuse, leading to flooding.
Ohakim introduced the Imo Rural Roads Maintenance
Agency, IRROMA, to open up rural areas in the state. Over 100 pieces of Toyota hilux vans were said to have been purchased in the name of IRROMA, which were leased to construction companies handling projects in the state. A source told this magazine that the number of roads constructed in the last three years belie the amount of money voted for IRROMA annually for its projects. Most of the projects handled by the agency such as the dredging of Nworie River, the Oguta Wonderland, the Royal Oak Refinery, the Midwestern Airlines, etc, were described as white elephant projects. Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in Imo State, Dr Laz Anyanwu said this should not be a priority project for the state government when “over 50 percent of graduate youths in the state are unemployed.”
A write-up in the governor’s facebook however described the dredging of the Nworie River as capable of providing facilities for beaches, water  transportation and modern agriculture along the river shores when completed. The project was executed in collaboration with the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC. The project is said to have cost the state government N8 billion. “Imagine if the governor had invested just half a billion Naira in the establishment of large scale poultry farms in each of the three senatorial districts, the number of jobs it would have created would have been phenomenal,” Anyanwu stated. Imo State government also said it has committed N2.5 billion on Oguta lake project which it said was aimed at transforming the tourism potential of the state.

Ohakim was said to have been constructing a 150 kilometre Imo inter connectivity (boulevard) multilane free way. The road is planned to criss-cross about 19 local government areas while work is on-going on the 20 kilometre Iho-Ogwa-Amauzari-Amaigbo road, the 20 kilometre Mbieri T- Junction- Orji-Uratta- Naze roads, the 25 kilometre Ahiara Junction Okpala road junction and the 45 kilometre Ukwuorji-Nworieubi- Atta Junction- Amaimo-Aforogbe roads. “The freeway will have modern toll plazas.”
However, the administration’s purchase of N2 billion Mid-West airline did not go down well with indigenes of the state. Recently, the state House of Assembly gave the executive the go ahead to borrow N40 billion from the bond market. Already, the first tranche of N18.5 billion has been released.
The government is also said to have borrowed huge sums of money from commercial banks at exorbitant rates. A source told this magazines that “when all interests and guarantees are considered, Imo State may well owe in excess of N500 billion in long term loans including bank bond guarantees.” Dr. Anyanwu, the state AC chairman said, the people of the state will not have one Naira coming from the statutory federal allocation in the next 15 years because of deductions from the borrowed money.
Ohakim is said to be averse to any opposing view. Dr. Alex Obi said he has been harassed and framed up for sending inciting text messages. He was later clamped in police custody and charged to court.

Newsworld