Probe, suspensions, clean up fever grips Abia

By Ori Martins

The cleaning of the Augean Stable is topnotch on the priority list of Abia State governor, Dr Alex Otti, as he moves swiftly to cleanse the stinking stench that has been suffocating the enclave in the last 23 years.

Practically, Otti, a revered as well as a renowned banking guru who signed off as the chief executive officer and managing director of the now defunct, Diamond Bank PLC, has caused a positive panic in Abia through his well tailored even welcomed probe, suspensions and clean up applications which inturn has elicited fever across the polity, particularly, among the elite and those with skeletons in thier cupboards.

To logically and comprehensively carry out this lofty dream and clearly administrative high point, Otti, who promised to hit the ground running, has instituted and courageously inaugurated a Judicial Panel of Inquiry, JPI.

The JPI is aimed at the recovery of properties and funds belonging to Abia State Government. Its term of reference, Business Hallmark learnt, is “to investigate alleged mismanagement of government assets during the previous administration and recover stolen ones”.

Otti, according to the chief press secretary, Kazie Uko, for the sake of accountability and fairness, has suspended the Head Of Service, HOS, and Permanent Secretaries, Perm Secs who served in the previous administration.

The chief press secretary revealed that the idea to suspend the HOS and Perm Secs was geared towards “avoiding interruption with the Judicial Panel’s investigation.

Since government is a continuum even as nature abhors vacuum, Ukoh stated that Otti had immediately approved the appointment of Lady Joy Maduka, director, ministry of education, as the acting HOS. The Abia State Government gazette indicated that John Pedro Iroakazi, the clerk of the state house of assembly as well as Mrs M.G. Uche Ikonne, the solicitor general, were not affected in the recent actions.

While the positive effects of the shakeup that quaked the offices of HOS and Perm Secs were still being discussed both hushed tones and on rooftops, the governor, a man who frowns at dishonesty and all manner of scandals at all levels, again, announced the suspension of heads of all state owned nursing and midwifery institutions.

In a release signed by Ukoh, Otti “directed the payment of fees accruing to the state owned nursing and midwifery institutions to designated bank accounts”.

The release notified thus:
“The governor of Abia State, Dr Alex Otti, has approved the suspension of the principals of all state owned nursing and midwifery training institutions, pending investigations and directives.

“Also suspended is the director of nursing in the ministry of health, Nwosu Njideka”.

Indeed, Governor Otti’s economic, social, health and political reforms have, so far, relaunched Abia on the commendable plane of recovery, reconstruction, reposition and rebranding, to the applause as well as excitement of the citizenry.

Comrade Onuoha Primus, is the chief executive officer of Onupris Enterprises, Aba. In his analysis of Otti’s reforms in the last one month, said “The Abia governor has started off on a good note. This is the first of its kind since 1999.

“His idea of probing government agencies is a welcomed development as the idea is to discover and block all the gaps through which Abia funds are being looted. At the end, more money will be saved and ultimately utilized for the good of the masses”.

A taxi operator in Umuahia, Nze Obi Mac Anthony, is of the opinion that Otti’s reforms, especially the probes which has caused the sack of some public servants, have made government workers in the agencies and parastatals to situp as it has instilled fear, tension and anxiety in the system in general but essentially among those who have questions to answer.

He described the governor’s actions as “in order as they are meant to bring sanity and discipline in the system”.

It must be recalled that even some opposition elements had called on Otti to probe the PDP administration in Abia, starting from 1999. The former deputy chief of staff, Chief Charles Ogbonnaya, urged the serving governor to probe the PDP administrations in the state if he must attain his set out objectives.

As Otti’s reforms have started with probes, with thier attendant suspensions and general clean up applications, fear has really gripped the state operators and held offices in the last administration. For now, most of them have maintained a suspended silence which many Abia people and public affairs analysts say, it is not golden.

The question is, who is the next to face the music as Governor Otti’s probe and suspension policy is aimed at making Abia better for all.