Abia Government’s silence over the alleged ongoing mass looting of Government property has become a source of worry to the Governor-elect, Dr Alex Otti.

Otti’s close confidant and Leader of his team in the Handover Joint Committee,

Rev. Fr. Christian Anokwuru, who disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Umuahia, expressed shock that the outgoing administration would look the other way while such criminality would be going on.

He, advised Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, to guard against such criminality as they would be held accountable by the incoming administration for any looted Government asset under their watch.

“The Permanent Secretaries and Directors should know that it is their responsibility to protect the properties because these commissioners and aides to the governor are government appointees, who are also leaving on May 29.

“So, failure of heads of these MDAs to act means they will be held responsible to give an account of their inventories,” Anokwuru said.

The cleric said, “It is unthinkable and hard to believe that government can look away and watch its properties being looted”.

According to him, Government’s failure to either deny, condemn or warm against the alleged criminal act seemed to reinforce the allegation.

“The allegation causes some concern because the government seems to be silent about it and no official statement made countering it.

“But I wouldn’t want to believe that government can allow such to happen, I want to believe that it is a rumour.

“I know there are entitlements, like consumables, cars, which top officials go home with but carting away fixed items and government properties is a crime and unacceptable.”

The cleric also decried the alleged employment racketeering currently going on in MDAs.

He wondered why an outgoing administration that was finding it difficult to pay salaries on the excuse of paucity of funds would embark on mass recruitment on the eve of the inauguration of a new Government.

Rev. Anokwuru warned that Otti’s earlier promise not to engage in probe of his predecessors so as not to be distracted, should not be taken for granted.

“This is sheer wickedness, insensitivity and deliberate intention to place a burden against the governor-elect, who has assured the people that he will not lay off workers.

“We are telling the government to desist from taking such actions, what is happening is a red alert.

“I think they are capitalising on Otti’s early statement that he is not going to sack workers.

“We call for caution and the need to apply morality”.

Rev. Anokwuru who said that the Governor-elect was in a hurry to develop the state, however, expressed frustration over the delays by the outgoing administration to make available its handover note to enable Otti to understudy it ahead of his swearing-in.

“It is expected that the outgoing administration ought to avail the governor-elect with the handover documents early enough to enable him to study the content before May 29.

“The administration has only few weeks in office so by now the handover documents, covering the government’s activities from 2015 to April 2023, ought to have been ready.

“Unfortunately, the government committee appears to be more preoccupied with preparations for the swearing-in ceremony rather than the documents.

“And, if the government insists that the handover documents would only be made available on May 29, it means the governor-elect has to take another period of time to study them.

“This is the only factor that will likely impede or slow down the pace with which the governor-elect had prepared to take off.

“For us from the governor-elect, we are not getting the maximum cooperation we were promised by the government.”

According to the Otti’s Team Leader, the reluctance of the outgoing Government is at variance with its earlier promises when it was represented by the Deputy Governor, Dr Ude Oko Chukwu at the Inauguration of the joint committee.

He said that the Deputy Governor had on behalf of his principal, promised that Government would not hesitate to provide the incoming Government with all it needed, including all necessary documents to enable it to take off smoothly.

“We are asking to be exposed to the documents, and inventories from the inception of this government to at least, the month of April.

“Whatever they have from the end of April to May 29 could be captured in a footnote or addendum.

“I want to say that it has not been smooth and easy for us nominated by the governor-elect to interface with the government team,” Anokwuru said.

He said Otti’s appointments would be based on merit and equity.

“From the body language of Dr Alex Otti, it is clear that he is ready for governance.

And immediately he is sworn in, all appointments will begin to take place without unnecessary delay.”

” I’m confident that appointments will be made based on merit, competence, integrity, fairness and equity. “ (Saturday Vanguard)

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