The governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti has disclosed that some of those that served in the immediate past government of Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu that converted government property for private or personal use have started returning them.
This is as he granted an approval for the extension of the work of the judicial panel of inquiry on the recovery of government properties, funds and related matters that was setup by his government shortly after he was sworn-in as the governor of the state last year, to address areas that they were yet covered.
The Governor gave the approval while receiving the final report of the panel.
According to the Governor, “Since there are petitions that have not been investigated, more time should be given to the panel to cover such areas instead of abruptly terminating the job of the panel”.
“I received the interim report earlier and I can confirm that the report was a job thoroughly done. I have no doubt that this final report would not depart from that trajectory you have set”.
“I had also heard how people tried to frustrate your efforts and also how you resisted them. This will go down in history as part of the courageous effort you and your team had made to rescue Abia State and to put it on the developmental path”, Governor Otti stated.
He thanked the chairman of the panel, Justice Florence Duruoha Igwe and her team for a job well done and assured them that government will take the recommendations in the report seriously and implement it to the latter.
“One thing that is not lacking in this government is courage. It is only courage that you require to do the right thing”.
“I can assure you that we are going to take this report very very seriously and we are going to implement it to the latter”.
“I want to reassure you that none of your recommendations will be swept under the carpet”.
“It doesn’t matter how long you have been living in a decayed system. Once you have the courage to correct it, you will start a new journey and anytime you start a new journey with courage, you will also be able to complete it”.
Governor Otti disclosed that some of the people invited by the panel who had illegitimately acquired what did not belong to them have started complying by returning them to the government and called on others yet to do so to follow suit before government comes after them.
“Already, some of the people you had called have already started complying. One came here to return documents of a property somewhere that he acquired illegitimately and he said he didn’t want our trouble”, Gov. Otti stated.
Submitting the three-volume report to the Governor earlier, the Chairman of the Panel of inquiry on recovery of government property and funds, Justice Florence Duruoha -Igwe said that the panel received 350 petitions and memoranda and had 99 sittings explained that they were able to conclude on such areas of their assignment as markets, lands, employments, movable properties, contracts and other related matters.
According to her, they did their best despite challenges and ‘not minding whose ox was gored’ and appealed to the Governor to pay attention to
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the panel’s recommendations.
