By Miriam Humbe, Abuja
Few days before his inauguration, Abia State Governor-elect, Dr. Alex Otti, and the Labour Party (LP) in the State have called on the outgoing Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu to arrest the self-sabotage of the alleged looting of government property.
Ferdinand Ekeoma, the Special Adviser
(Media and Publicity) to the
Abia Governor-elect and Njoku Jerry Ajike, State Publicity Secretary of the
Labour Party said this in a statement jointly signed on Tuesday.
They pleaded with Governor Ikpeazu to ensure that every property belonging to the Abia State Government, which may have been illegally taken away, was returned.
Otti and his team expressed concerned over multiple reports of alleged looting going on in different public institutions and Government facilities, including the Abia State Government House and guest houses.
They also called on all present and former government appointees, civil servants, individuals and institutions who may have been part of the alleged theft to voluntarily return whatever they had in their possession that belongedto the people and Government of Abia State.
They also said when some of these reports were first made public shortly after the announcement of the governorship election result and declaration of Dr. Otti as the Governor-elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), they had expected the government to act swiftly and arrest the ugly situation, but it persisted.
The statement reads:
“Only last Friday, April 28, 2023, the Abia State Branch of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) during a courtesy visit to Dr. Otti, informed the Governor-elect of widespread looting of government property at the Aba General Hospital.
“The NMA backed up its shocking disclosure with a written petition where it articulated what it described as “the destruction and looting of Aba General Hospital in the twilight of this outgoing administration”.
“Aside the Aba General Hospital, some other public institutions and facilities where these barefaced lootings of government property have been reported are the Abia State Government House Umuahia, where choice cars, brand new buses and Sport Utility Vehicles acquired with public funds, have been removed; School of Health Technology Aba, Abia State Universal Basic Education Board (ASUBEB), Umuahia, and School of Nursing, Amachara, Umuahia.
“In the case of School of Nursing Amachara, Umuahia, multiple reports alleged that some of the important medical equipment in the COVID-19 Centre had since been illegally taken away.
“We consider these acts both insensitive and callous to the welfare of the Abia people and the socio-economic development of our State.
“These are public assets, our commonwealth and required to be protected, not plundered as spoils of war.
“Ethical orientation in public service requires every public servant to understand that the institution of government outlives every occupant of that office. In other words, government is a continuum.
“Therefore, no action should be taken by anyone, let alone officer of the State, to sabotage the existence of government as an institution at any point in time.”
