The Imo State government has responded to the call by a human rights
group, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP,
demanding the probe of Governor Rochas Okorocha over the statues erected
in honour of two African leaders, Jacob Zuma and Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.
SERAP had called on the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, and Independent
Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC to
collaborate with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC for a
joint investigation of ‘incompatibility and/or apparent and conflict of
interest’.
The group had claimed that Governor Rochas “may have spent over ‘N1 billion’ of public funds to build the statues.”
However, in a statement by the chief press secretary to the governor,
Sam Onwuemeodo, on Tuesday, the government said the state agreed with
SERAP’s call for probe.
“First, we want to solemnly subscribe to SERAP’s call for probe. We
welcome the call. Our only concern is that SERAP contradicted itself by
also passing judgements. It would have stopped at the call for probe to
show they meant well. But they went ahead to pass judgements and thereby
jeopardising what should have been their innocent call for probe,” the
statement read.
“SERAP also said the statues might have cost N1 billion. Then, how
would SERAP address the issue of cost again if at the end of the probes,
the amount is either far higher or far below what they quoted?” he
said.
“Again, what if at the end of the probe, it is discovered that the
statues were not funded from government’s purse, when SERAP had already
talked about ‘apparent misuse of public resources’?” he added.
“Our concern too is that people deliberately tell unfounded lies. A
week ago, all the newspapers had reports on states owing salaries and
the chairman of the Imo State branch of NLC, Comrade Austin Chilakpa
said the “State government is up to date in the payment of workers’
salary” (see Nation newspaper, Sunday November 5, 2017, pg13). In other
words, the state does not owe workers including teachers. On the issue
of pension, the government cleared all the arrears in December 2016 and
has begun to pay monthly. These pieces of information have been there in
public domain,” the statement said.