Members of the probe panel constituted by the Governor of Imo State, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, to probe the activities of the Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (ISOPADEC), have assured the staff of the Commission that they will focus solely on the mandate given to them by the Governor, stressing that they are not on a mission to witch-hunt anyone.

The Governor had on July 7, 2019, empanelled a committee to look into the books of ISOPADEC from May 2011 to May 2019. The panel which is headed by a retired Permanent Secretary in the state, Chief R.C.O. Ezeogu, was charged,

1. To look into financial accruals and expenditure of ISOPADEC from May 2011 to May 2019.

2. To ascertain whether the expenditures were made in line with the Law governing financial transactions in ISOPADEC and other extant laws.

3. To look into the procurement processes of ISOPADEC and ascertain whether they were made in line with due process, rules and regulations.

4. To look into all the recruitments/employments in ISOPADEC and ascertain whether they were made in line with laid down rules.

5. To make recommendations on officers and members of management who are found to have abused the rules and regulations and their offices.

6. To make any other recommendations that will help to strengthen and reposition ISOPADEC for better performance.

The leader of the Probe Panel, Chief R.C.O. Ezeogu, addressing the staff of the Commission at the Commission’s secretariat on Monday assured them that the Governor only sent them to see ways to revive the Commission by looking at what might have transpired in the last eight years and recommending what could be done to reposition the Commission.

“This state was messed up. We prayed to God for a helper and he answered our prayers and sent a man, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, to us. He promised us that he would rebuild Imo State. Rebuilding the state means fixing those things that went wrong. We cannot abandon the mandate given to us by the Governor to pursue vendetta. We were not sent to with-hunt anyone. We are only asking for your cooperation.

“ISOPADEC was created to address the challenges in the oil producing communities occasioned by the exploration and exploitation of oil in those communities. Is it fair that money meant for the development of those communities is frittered away? We will do our job by focusing on what we were sent to do here and not witch-hunt anybody,” said the Chairman of the probe panel.

Meanwhile, the Managing Director of the Commission, Engr. Anthony Okwuosha, has assured that there would be a new ISOPADEC under his watch in line with the Rebuild Imo agenda of the Governor. He noted that though the Commission had existed for 12 years without a structure in place, the new team would put the structures in place, adding that only when the structures are in place and running effectively would the Commission live up to the expectations of the people.

“This is a new dawn for ISOPADEC. It is a new dawn for all of us. We are committed to rebuilding ISOPADEC. We will not deny any staff what is due to him. We will give you your promotions on merit and as at when due and also pay your salaries as at when due, but we will all focus on our people who live in the rural communities that suffer the most from the challenges caused in the communities by oil exploration activities.

“For a period of eight years this Commission did not impact on our people and all of you know that. Our communities did not have electricity for eight years. We are not going to continue in the path. Our focus will be on our people back home and what we will do to ameliorate their plight. We are not going to do dirty things here but we are not going to tolerate unethical mannerism. The madness of the past will not continue,” he said.

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