Two weeks after the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC invited Senior Staff of the Imo State Local Government Areas to Abuja to come and respond to a petition before it over “fictitious” contracts executed in the Councils, the officers and yet to comply with directive.
Those invited by ICPC are the Directors of Administrations and General Duties, DAGs, Treasurers, Head of Works Departments etc.
However, Trumpeta learnt that the State Government stopped the movement of these LGA top officers to Abuja, as there are “no available documents to present to ICPC for the contracts executed with LGAs funds”.
Therefore, a meeting was fixed by the State Government with LGA Staff, which was attended by Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Chief Jerry Okolie, Hon Stan Dara and Hon Obinna Okpara, all members of the Imo House of Assembly.
Sources who participated in the meeting told Trumpeta that the DAGs, Treasurers etc were ordered to go to their various LGAs and “produce papers” to “tally” the contracts executed by the State Government from LGA funds.
The top LGA Staff were said to have refused but were asking for “something” for the paper works which will gulp heavy sums to “produce”.
Imo Trumpeta was told that the meeting ended in a stalemate, as both the Government representatives and LGA Staff failed to arrive on a compromise.
However, last week, Government gave order and instructed the LGA top management staff to either “produce” the papers or lose their jobs.
Therefore, the embattled DAGs, Treasurers and HODs are said to be quarantined in a popular Hotel in Owerri “doing what they were asked to do”, one of the DAGs told Trumpeta from a Hotel room.
“We are working day and night to “produce” these documents. We sleep, eat and wake up here working” A DAG from one of the LGAs in Orlu Zone told Trumpeta in confidence.
However, a source from the office of the Commissioner for Local Government, told this Newspaper that although Government has been speaking to the DAGs and Treasurers but it was a routine exercise to reconcile account by the state Government and the Local Government Areas, and that no DAG or Treasurer was forced to “doctor” any document, as there is no course for such.
A Government House source told Trumpeta that although these top LGA officers have been attending several meetings at Sam Mbakwe Hall, Government House Owerri, lately but it was for “debriefing about the activities in the LGAs these past months”.
Our Reporters who visited the LGAs said apart from some SOLADs that were on seat, the offices of the DAGs, Treasurers and HOD Works were deserted, as their staff who volunteered information said their Bosses traveled to Owerri, while others said Abuja.
