Victor EzejaAbia State governor, Dr Alex Otti on Tuesday, inaugurated a five-member judicial panel to recover allegedly stolen properties of the state.
Justice Ikwuoma Duruoha-Igwe (rtd) was named Chairman of the panel.
Other members of the panel include; former Vice Chancellor of Abia State University, Prof. Ogwo Ekeoma Ogwo; Professor of Mathematics at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Ursula Ngozi Akanwa; Ugochukwu Okoroafor and Rev. Fr Alex Okonkwo.
In a tweet on Wednesday morning, Dr Otti he would have moved on with the business of governance and delivering the dividends of democracy to the people without looking into the deeds of the immediate-past administration but decided to set up a panel to recover the state’s assets because of large-scale allegations of misuse and misappropriation of public resources by former government officials.
His statement reads: “I am honored to inaugurate the Judicial Panel focused on the recovery of Abia State’s assets.
“Ordinarily, the desire of this administration would have been to focus on the business of governance and the delivering of the dividend of democracy, without resorting to any form of inquiry into past deeds.
“However, in response to large-scale allegations of misuse and misappropriation of public resources by former officials. A very hostile handover with many assets inaccessible and operations starting from ground zero. Public lands and institutions, including Schools, were not spared from conversion to private use, emphasizes the need for inquiry and accountability, as advocated by our citizens.”
The governor stated that the mandates of the panel are to:
“1) Investigate complaints of government property misuse and recommend remedial actions.
“2) Identify illegal acquisition/conversion of state assets and suggest recovery methods.
“3) Analyze land allocation/revocation from May 2015-2023, judging their appropriateness.
“4) Review contract awards from May 2015-2023 for legality.
“5) Investigate other matters incidental or related to the above, making further recommendations.”
Governor Otti further said the panel is expected to swing into action immediately, adding that with “excellent records” of the members, it is hoped that they would contribute in the quest to rebuild the state.
While encouraging the public to support the panel in the assets recovery bid, the governor also warned current officials in the state that this is a reminder to them of the need for accountability.
“We anticipate a swift operation from the panel and encourage public support for the recovery of our shared wealth. With your excellent records, we trust you will help rebuild Abia State. To current officials, let this be a reminder of accountability: Your actions today will be judged tomorrow. May God bless Abia State,” Otti added.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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