By Victor Madumere
In reaction to the agitation by Imo Workers that Gov Rochas Anayo Okorocha should sell the private jets which they alleged he bought with the collective money of Imo people, in order to raise fund to pay the backlog of worker salaries and pension arrears of between three (3) to nineteen (19) months as published by Trumpeta newspapers of 26th August 2015, the State Chief Executive has replied the workers through a press release signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Sam Onwuemeodo, saying that he had bought / owned the private jet long before he became the Governor of Imo State.
According to the release which reads in part “Imo State Government has read with dismay reports in the media quoting workers in the State to have claimed that the State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha had bought private jets and should sell them and use the money to pay them their salaries”
“Therefore, as a Government, we want to deny with high sense of honesty that since may 29the 2011 when Owelle Rochas Okorocha became Governor, he has never bought any private jet either directly or through proxy. And having now made this denial, let those behind the allegation make their facts public to fault our denial”
However, the release went further to submit that the Governor’s jets were bought long before he became a Governor during the auction sell off some Presidential jets by President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.
“The period Owelle Okorocha bought jets was years before his becoming Governor during Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime, when some of the Presidential jets were auctioned. The Governor bought jets then under the aegis of Lamonde Aviation, alongside few other Nigerians. Since he became Governor, he has never bought any private jets.
Imo State Government in the release also denied owing workers three month salary arrears and selling of any parastatal “that Government owes the Civil Servants, Teachers and Local Government workers in the State three months arrears of salaries. This is not true, has paid up to June. The Government has not also sold any of the parastatals as falsely claimed”
The Government release also stated that the Debt Management Agency has recently published the debt profile of the state to be N37billion as against the hundreds of billions alleged by opponents of the Government. It also cited that the N37billion includes that of past administration.
“In the case of Imo State, they published N37billion which was far from hundred of billions the opponents of the Government have been claiming. And the N37billion debt including the ones by the last administration”
Consequently, the Governor also used the release to warn the public on false propaganda against his Government as he accused some persons and media houses of blackmailing him and promised to use legal actions on them henceforth “some elements in the State and some media houses have been blackmailing the Governor and the Government, the Government has decided to begin to explore the law of the land to check these lies or falsehood, since it is the only way the truth or otherwise of these allegations can be unveiled”
