The crises generated by the appointment of personnel to run the Community Government Councils CGC, in Imo State has opened up another opportunity for the Ministry of Community Government Council to milk the poor Communities and individuals who troop to the office to register their disagreements over the lists which have been causing trouble in the state.
According to impeccable sources, the Ministry is said to be charging Communities and individuals the sum of N15,000 (Fifteen thousand Naira) before they could submit their petitions to the Ministry.
Trumpeta was told that a clerk has been designated to take responsibility of collecting petitions from aggrieved individuals, groups, villages and Communities who want Government to look into their disagreements.
It was learnt that the job is yielding large sums of money, as nearly all the Communities in Imo State have one complaint or the other to register at the Ministry of Community Government.
A dejected man, who refused to give his name said he was issued a receipt after paying N15,000 to submit a petition to the Ministry.
The fellow who claims to come from a Community in Okigwe LGA, said he had to pay because he saw others paying and since the instruction was that only those who register their petitions would be attended too.
It would be recalled that since Government released the names of those to manage the affairs of Communities in the State, nearly all the Communities have been on fire, following myriads of complaints arising from the appointments, which many Community Leaders said was carried out by the State Government without imputs from Leaders of the Communities who know who is who in the neighbourhoods than Government Officials that reside in Owerri.
Many Communities rejected their appointees, with various reasons. In some cases, the Woman Leader, Community Liaison Officer, Secretary etc come from one kindred, village or family.
Communities have been rejecting the appointees, which triggered off demonstrations, and in some cases outright mayhem and chaos.
Some of the inaugurations ended in fracas as groups stormed venues to disrupt the exercise they see as discriminating and imposition on the grass roots.
Speaking to Trumpeta on phone, the Commissioner for Community Government, Barr (Mrs) Nnanna Okoro confirmed the payment of N15,000 by petitioners, but said it is not paid to her office, but by the Internally Generate Revenue IGR office, pointing out that her office has nothing to do with payments made on petitions on the CGC appointment fall outs.
Meanwhile the Community Government Council (CGC) has continued to stir up crisis across the nooks and crannies of the state. Nekede Mechanic Village has joined the fray.
The leader of the Nigerian Automobile Technicians Association, Imo State Council, yesterday disassociated itself from a splinter group called Motor Mechanic and Allied Technicians Association (MMATA) Nekede Mechanic Village, purportedly led by one Mr Virginus Obi.
In a statement made available to Trumpeta and endorsed by the Exco members of NATA led by Engr. Chief Charles Emezuem (Chairman), Engr. Christian Okwulehie (Secretary), they described the group which paid a courtesy call to the commissioner for CGC as illegal. The statement reads “Consequently, much as we are not against a CGC status for Nekede Mechanic Village, we wish to state that the said group did not have our mandate to undertake such a courtesy visit or to present our needs to the government as we have a government recognized body to do so”
“We wish to congratulate and fully associate with His Excellency, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, the Executive Governor of Imo State and the Father of Community Government and Africa as well as the Hon. Commissioner for Community Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Lady Barr Ugochi Nnanna Okoro.
