Imo State governor Emeka Ihedioha has alleged that his predecessor,
Rochas Okorocha looted the state’s purse of over N100billion on phony
projects and left it in a deep financial mess.
Ihedioha, a former speaker and deputy of Nigeria’s House of
Representatives, said Okorocha’s eight years as the governors of the
state plunged Imo State into unsustainable debt.
“Our interim findings show a consistent pattern of massive looting and
stripping of public assets, dismantling and carting away of public
property such as electric poles, vehicles, trucks, office equipment and
furniture etc,” Ihedioha told a meeting of Imo State Stakeholders.
“There were last-minute illegal sales of government property at giveaway
prices and unlawful allocation of land including backdating of
Certificates of Occupancy.”
Ihedioha said the state is faced with over N100 billion naira debt with
“nothing to show for it.”
Already, Imo State has received over 30 billion Naira worth of Garnishee
Orders secured against it by contractors.
But the Imo State governor said the contracts were fraudulently awarded
by Okorocha’s government.
“I must inform you in this regard that, so far we have received over 30
billion Naira worth of Garnishee Orders arising from several
ill-conceived and fraudulent contractual agreements deliberately
consummated by the past administration, to destroy the future of the
State and its teeming population by fettering the State in a humongous
debt trap,” Ihedioha said.
Similar comments about Okorocha’s eight years as Imo state governor were
made a day before Ihedioha’s statement by Chidi Odinkalu, a former
chairman of Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission.
“Over a period of 8 years, it’s an understatement to say Okorocha stole
Imo State dry and laid the state desolate,” Odinkalu said.
“Turning around the state from his reign of pillage and plunder will
require a lot of work and may be a bit of a miracle.”
Despite the level of debt Ihedioha said the state faces, he explained to
the stakeholders that he was determined to rebuild the state.
“Our mission will be to rebuild our beloved state and reposition it as a
first class, first rate State for investment, a social, political and
economic powerhouse, an oasis of peace, security and development. ”