… Allege Diversion Of Funds To Private Account By Council Chairman
By Emeka Gerald
Traders occupying lockup shops built between Orie Nempi Market and Nempi Eastern Primary School in Oru West Local Government Area of Imo State, had lamented alleged threat of eviction or demolition of the shops by the Council Chairman, Engr. Ikenna Adikibe, if they failed to pay an outstanding rent fee of Six Hundred Thousand Naira into an alleged Private Account issued to them through the local government council letterheaded paper or to comply with other directives inimical to them.
The traders said that they were not satisfied whether the payment of #600,000 Fee by their Landlords into an alleged Private Account (Account Name: Chibuzo Engineering Ltd, Account No: 1029494083, Bank: UBA) provided to them by the Office of the Council Chairman would be adequately remitted into the Account of the Council to avoid sanction or eviction by subsequent governments.
Confiding on journalists who visited the market last week, the occupants of the said shops, who did not want their names in print for fear of victimization, pointed out that they requested the Council to give them the local government bank accounts for payment instead of a private account of whom they did not know as a developer.
They wondered why the current administration led by Adikibe forced them to pay into a Private Account, describing the alleged anomaly as illegality, criminality and abuse of public office.
“The shops were built in 2022/2023. If not for reasons best known to him, Adikibe is not suppose to talk about bulldozing the shops or extort them, since the shops were built outside Eastern Primary School land and beside Orie Nempi Market, even as the local government was not the developer and did not add to the construction of the shops.
“In view of the council’s rights to supervise the shops, the owners or occupants of the shops were instructed by the Chairman to pay a fee to the Council through a private account, to avoid being demolished, revoked or being evicted.
“But instead of Adikibe who is demanding for a fee from the shops occupants to pay the money into government’s account, the Council brought a Private Account: (Account Name: Chibuzo Engineering Ltd, Account No: 1029494083. Bank: UBA), which is a criminal act”, the traders alleged.
It was also reliably gathered from the occupants of the shops that the meeting for the agreement on the #600,000.00 shops fee payment was held at the LG office of one of the supervisory Councillors of Oru West LGA, who happens to be the current APC State Woman Leader, Mrs. Ifeyinwa Ejimofor Obi, which leaves her as a conspirator in the alleged illegality.
The shops occupants noted that they actually paid the #600,000.00 shop fee as mandated by the office of the Council Chairman, but due to fear did not provide journalists with receipts of payment, stating that their Landlords should be in better position to present those receipts to the public.
In a related development, investigations at Oru West Council headquarters in Mgbidi revealed that Adikibe allegedly does not pay the salaries of his Special Advisers even after signing and collecting them from the Council.
According to the sources, “Adikibe, as the Oru West Chairman, does not pay salaries to the SAs attached to him. He collects our salaries, but does not pay us. We demand that he pay our salaries in arrears to save us, our families and other dependants from hunger and hardship”.
Furthermore, information gathered from anonymous indigenes of the locality, exposed some ills being perpetrated by the Councillors of the local government in cohort with the Council Chairman.
The indigenes regretted that the Councillors did not utilize the Ten Million Naira given to them by the State Government to provide boreholes in their various wards in order to reduce shortage of water, which they frowned they always scrambled for.
“No single functional borehole was dug by any Councillor. We have been suffering from shortage of water supply in Mgbidi and other communities in the Council. We call on the Imo State Government to look into the allegation of fraud on the provisions of boreholes in every ward in Oru West and ensure that culprits are severely punished to reduce corruption and criminality in the area.
Some Councillors contacted in anonymity few days ago, stated that the recent “Vote of Confidence passed on Adikibe by Oru West Councillors is a call to questioning on what actually he has done right to deserve the credit”, even when some Councillors were hitherto suspended from the Council.
They alleged that corruption is bedeviling the LGA, alleging that “Adikibe gives money to the Leader of Oru West Council monthly, which is unknown to other Councillors. Hence, the Leader of the Council convinced other Councillors to Pass the Vote of Confidence on the Council Chairman”.
In his capacity as Chairman of Imo State Chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), journalists also gathered that the Association has faced concerns over coordination and effective communication under Adikibe’s leadership.
The ALGON office at No. 57 Okigwe Road, Owerri, was said to have been opened for the Association’s activities, but journalists gathered that regular meetings and administrative activities have not been taking place there as expected.
Journalists also gathered that correspondences sent to the office has at times faced difficulties in receiving prompt administrative attention, with concerns raised over the absence of a clearly identifiable secretary or contact person.
Some sources familiar with the affairs of ALGON also alleged that divisions among Council Chairmen have affected the smooth running of the Association.
The concerns have raised questions about the effectiveness of ALGON’s administrative structure under Adikibe’s leadership.
It was also gathered that some members of the Association were not part of the protest against Governor Hope Uzodimma’s earlier pronouncement on the end of the tenure of Local Government Chairmen and Councillors.
Sources alleged that the protest was initiated and supported from behind by Adikibe.
It was also alleged that Adikibe paid for 500 copies of an Imo based newspaper edition that reported the court case involving council chairmen seeking an extension of their tenure in line with the Local Government Autonomy framework and the Constitution.
The sources also alleged purchase of the copies was said to have been aimed at limiting the circulation of the publication in the state.
The report also indicated that after another Imo based newspaper published a related report, the Oru West Council Legal Officer allegedly contacted the publisher and pressured the newspaper to alter aspects of the report.
The sources further alleged that Adikibe subsequently generated the existing signatures of the LG Chairmen in a statement denying that they had demanded an extension of their tenure.
Thorough investigations into Adikibe’s administration in Oru West LGA points to some alleged Land Grabbing Activities including the sale/mortgage of an expanse of land housing NITEL Building and land near the Council headquarters, Mgbidi, to a private individual from Oru West LGA.
Reacting, Engr. Ikenna Adikibe, denied having any knowledge of these allegations levelled against him. He said he has never embezzled any funds meant for the Council, mandated the traders to pay shops fee into a Private Account nor sponsored any vote of confidence on him. He described those allegations as baseless.
Just as the APC State Woman Leader, Mrs. Ifeyinwa Ejimofor Obi, acknowledged that there was a meeting of the traders in her office at Mgbidi, but was not aware whether a Private Account was provided to the traders to pay the said outstanding #600,000.00 shop fee as alleged.
