By Onyekachi Eze
Residents of Aladimma Estate living around Oguta Street have cried out over the massive demolition of their shops by Imo my Pride task force a combined team of Oweri Capital Development Authority(OCDA) and Imo ENTRACO .
The demolition which commenced in the early hours of Saturday pulled down shops, property and other valuables in strong surveillance of the security men who were said to be ready to descend on anybody that attempt obstructing the exercise
One of the victims of the exercise whose property was destroyed, who doubles as a retired Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Agriculture, 2001 and Chairman, Association of Civil Servants in Imo State, Comrade Fabian Ifeanyichukwu Agba while narrating his ordeals to Trumpeta described the action as barbaric, uncivilized and more of premeditated act by some people who deliberately want to victimize him and family for no just cause, stressing that in a proper manner, notice should have been made. He submitted that on the early morning of Saturday. Some set of people who addressed themselves as Imo My Pride came and told him to shift his shop before Monday.
Regrettably, within twenty minutes of the notice, he saw bulldozer descending on the family shop with the supervisor inside a tinted car pointing only at the structure with direction to pull down the shop. He said that he erected the shop for the daughter when she graduated from school without any hope of employment , adding that, he got an approval order from the right agency, wondering why they should be answering Imo My Pride when the officers commanding the activities are uncivilized without any human feelings.
According to him, he revealed that as the Secretary of Association of retired Perm Secs, he suspects a foul play from the government, stating that he only signed a letter sent to governor for a notice of Perm secs meeting with the governor in negotiation of their related issues on payment of pensions which is yet to be recognized.
Comrade Agba opined that no responsible government with the people’s feelings will visit the people he governs with such disdain, neglect and abrogation of rule of law, reiterating that in a civilized setting, a shop not less than 3 feet to the gutter will not face such demolition, especially without any notice, attributing it as a willful act to victimize him and family.
“What we have is government of one Imo man, some Imo people and not all of us. Seeing such things makes me regret and ashamed of being a citizen of Imo. There is no responsible government that will pay salaries before the pensioners. The retired Perm Secs are trained, ready to support the government. All we want from the government is to do things in a right way. If it fails to follow things appropriately, it then means we are experiencing anarchy” said Comrade Agba.
Furthermore, he disclosed that as it stands now, the state government is owing him a six months pension starting from February 2015 to date while his wife, a retired primary school teacher is being owed since 2013.
The Arondizuogu, Ideato North born and member of Imo Elders’ council during Ohakim’s era further pleaded with the governor to always pay a listening ear to icons of administration who have retired, hinting that in the association of Imo retired perm secs, they are more than fifty (50) in number and any opinion given to the government from them should be seen as sincere which should not be relegated to the background.
Reacting when contacted on phone on the said demolition, the media aide to the chairman, Imo My Pride task force, Reagan Obioma denied that no notice was given to them, stressing that before the commencement of the demolition, there were lots of awareness in both print, electronic and social media, adding that no demolition was made without notice.
