Strong indications that most government property and assets are going into the hands of private operators have continued to manifest in Imo State.
The latest is that the Owelle Rochas Okorocha led government has handed over the Orlu Road state secretariat, Owerri to the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Owerri. The Orlu road secretariat houses several government establishments and was the abode of some ministries before the administration of Achike Udenwa built a new ultra-modern secretariat on Port Harcourt road, New Owerri.
Before this latest development, several money-making government establishments like Concorde Hotel, Adapalm, General Hospitals, ITC, Water Corporation, State Liason Office, Abuja to mention but a few had been surreptiously taken over by private without public bidding.
The taking over of Orlu road secretariat can be confirmed by Trumpeta which has been investigating the development.
When Trumpeta called at the secretariat premises, an atmosphere of uncertainty pervaded the air as the various institutions, ministries and people doing businesses there wore gloomy faces obviously thinking about their re-location. One of the ministries that would be worst hit is the Archives Department of the Ministry of Information and Strategy, Owerri.
At the entrance of the seemingly abandoned secretariat, a big sign post captioned, “Removal of valuables/crops”, has already been mounted at the entrance of the secretariat warning people to vacate the premises as the state government has ceded the secretariat to FMC Owerri.
The sign board signed by the FMC management said it would commence demolition of structures soon and advised people to remove their valuables or crops. The order was given before the thirty first of December 2013 which has passed three months ago.
An impeccable source from the FMC Owerri, told Trumpeta that the Hospital management has already commenced the use of the land facilities adding that the demolition exercise would commence any moment irrespective of presence of Ministry workers.
Meanwhile, the entire secretariat compound is unkempt, bushy and dirty as the occupants have developed could feet in the area of sanitation.
Apart from Ministry of Information Archives Dept, the complex house Ministry of culture and Tourism offices when Alex Ogwazuo and Ugochi Nnanna-Okoro were in charge of the ministry, the Consumer Protection Council CPC, Boys scout office, Man O, War poverty Alleviation Bureau and other relevant state government parastatals.
Already, FMC has erected structures and blocks for medical purposes in the secretariat complex. Trumpeta learnt that some persons suffering a kind of infectious ailment have been transferred to scare government workers who are dilly-dallying to more out their offices and items. The presence of FMC has instilled fear and uncertainty in the minds of remaining staff of parastatals at the premises.
