By CHARLES IWUOHA

Ebonyi State Government on Thursday challenged a contractor to show documents of claims that it was owing the firm instead of resorting to blackmail.

The state Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Mr. Jude Okpor, threw the challenge while reacting to a social media publication by the contractor popularly known as Jean-Philips company against the state government on the alleged debt.

Okpor said in the said publication against the Ebonyi State government, the contractor accused the government of refusing to pay him 15% balance of a supposedly executed total contract sum of Sixty-Eight Million, Eight Hundred Thousand Naira which he entered with the previous administration in the state.

His words: “Without attempting to join issues in public domain with the said contractor, it is pertinent that we set the record straight for the benefit of the reading public.

“First, the contractor, Ifeanyi should realize that the present administration in the state was not privy to the contractual agreement, and as a new administration, it is still in the process of verifying the veracity of many claims before it.

“If Ifeanyi's balance is among those inherited from the previous administration, he needed to have exercised due patience in following the right official procedures and proper administrative channels rather than taking to the social media.

“Secondly, Ifeanyi’s reference to his non indigeneship of the state as the reason for his alleged, self-conceived oppression by the State Government betrays his ill intentions and overt mischief in the writing on the supposed transaction.

“If the business is transacted on tribal basis, why should the State Government give him the contract in the first place when many Ebonyians could have rendered the services?

“Ifeanyi should have asked to be cleared that the many inherited bills before the new administration do not take into cognizance the origin of the supposed beneficiaries, and as such, Ifeanyi should appreciate the fact that he is not the only one allegedly being owed by the State Government.

“The State government in line with its fiscal responsibility and public interest spending will definitely do justice to all claims which their authenticity are eventually established by due processes and necessary investigations. These may include Ifeanyi's claims.

“Moreover, we wish to state that many contractors like Ifeanyi, most of whom are indigenes of other states, including Anambra, whose claims have been completely verified and authenticated through the contracting ministries and agencies of government have started receiving their claims.

“We therefore wish to employ this medium to advise Ifeanyi to approach the government through the Ministry of Aviation with all relevant documents to justify his claims rather than resorting to cheap blackmail.

“Once his claims are verified in line with established processes, he would be paid like others in his shoes that have started receiving theirs.”