The Senator representing Imo North in the National Assembly, Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu is in trouble as he has been petitioned to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over alleged criminal conversion of Imo State Government property to personal use even as he has dismissed the matter as a non issue cooked up by some elements engaging in political vendetta over the outcome of the State APC congress.
The strong worded petition was written by his former aide and a social crusader, Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha.
Iwuoha, the Senator’s former media aide during his tenure as Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, in the petition claimed that the anti graft body should wade in to investigate how Uwajumogu allegedly converted Asphalt Drum Mix Plant and Construction Equipment said to be that of the state government to personal property.
Trumpeta would recall that after experiencing brushes with his former principal few years after he assumed the post of Special Assistant, Media to Uwajumogu, the Imo State House of Assembly Speaker, in 2011, Iwuoha turned back to raise several allegations against his former principal, giving rise to purported petitions against anti graft agencies. Nothing was further heard of the claims until the renewed allegation against the Senator dated June 5, 2018.
According to Iwuoha in the petition also made available to the newspaper, “My nature as a sociopolitical crusader does not allow me to keep quiet when abnormalities and fraudulent activities go on in my environment.
Hence, I have been of immense assistance to the current war against corruption and criminalities by the President Mohammadu Buhari led Federal Government.
“I am therefore bringing to your attention, for urgent action, the criminal conversion of Imo State Government Property (Asphalt Drum Mix Plant and Construction Equipment) to personal property by the immediate Past Speaker of Imo State House of Assembly (2011 to 2015) Rt. Hon. Benjamin Chukwuemeka Uwajumogu and his private company (WERDIS NIGERIA LIMITED). It is my belief that this petition will be attended to and justice done, for the government and people of Imo State. I say this because a similar petition against this same man
(Rt. Hon. Benjamin Chukwuemeka Uwajumogu) dated 18th February 2014 and addressed to the then Chairman of EFCC (Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde) with documented evidences was swept under the carpet”.
The petition went further to state”In 2011, when His Excellency Owelle Rochas Okorocha was inaugurated as the Executive Governor of Imo State, the new administration had in mind to pursue aggressive construction and indeed rehabilitation of both urban and rural roads in the State. But due to the poor financial base of the state, it could not be possible to achieve the goal through contract awards only. However, the State Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport had qualified personnel who could be deployed to work on the said roads, but the only impediment to achieving the objectives was lack of Construction Equipment and Asphalt Drum Mix Plant.
To this end, the Ministry of Works Housing and Transport, through it’s then Commissioner, who was also the State Deputy Governor, Chief Sir Jude Agbaso wrote a letter (No. MOW/COMM/S.1/VI/55) to His Excellency the Governor, on the 13th of October 2011, informing him that after due deliberations that the Imo State Tenders Board had approved that Werdis Nigeria Limited be awarded the contract to supply the required Construction Equipment and Asphalt Drum Mix Plant at the cost of N213,262,500.00 (Two Hundred and Thirteen Million, two Hundred and Sixty two thousand five Hundred naira) only.
“His Excellency the Governor was therefore requested to release the stated sum of money to the Ministry of Works in payment for the supplies of the Construction Equipment and Asphalt Drum Mix Plant.
Accordingly, on that same 13th October, 2011, Governor Okorocha graciously approved the release of the sum of N213,262,500,00 to Werdis Nigeria Limited in respect of the above supplies. It should be noted that the approval letter was endorsed by the following people.
(1) His Excellency the Governor
(2) The Deputy Governor/Hon. Commissioner of Works
(3) The Accountant General of Imo State
The petitioner claimed that “Consequently, steps were taken and the said amount was released” to the said firm. However, he accused the company, Werdis Nigeria Ltd of refusal to supply the said equipment to the State Government through the Ministry of Works.
The petition further accused the company of “using the funds (money) approved to it for the supplies, to build a private Asphalt Drum Mix Plant and Construction
Equipment located at Onitsha road behind Coca-Cola Plant Owerri-Imo State”
Iwuoha is asking EFCC to investigate the matter on the suspicion that Uwajumogu has vested interest in the company known as Werdis Nig Ltd, who he further accused of using his exalted office to secure contracts for his private company, which the petition further alleged is still being managed by his immediate younger brother, Mr. Nnadozie Uwajumogu.
“As a Socio-political Crusader in Imo State, I am most respectfully calling on you to recover the Asphalt Drum Mix Plant and Construction Equipment from Werdis Nigeria Limited and Rt. Hon. Benjamin Chukwuemeka Uwajumogu. I am also calling on you to bring the same Rt. Hon. Benjamin Chukwuemeka Uwajumogu and his younger brother Nnadozie Uwajumogu to book. “The fight against fraud, stealing and corruption should be fought with every amount of dedication, sincerity and honesty”
Iwuoha told Trumpeta in a phone interview that the petition has been submitted to EFCC office in Abuja and he is waiting for investigation to commence to drive home his allegations.
However, in a reaction during a phone interview, Uwajumogu declared the claims as concocted lies manufactured by his former aide to please his present sympathizers.
Giving an insight into the allegation, Uwajumogu who spoke from his Abuja base noted that at a time government procured items, it was supplied and the State government took delivery which is still in use, pondering why such claims are coming up now seven years after.
According to the Senator “was it not the same Samuelson who wrote frivolus write up in the past with unsubstantiated claims that could not get to any point. You can’t divorce political vendetta from the new petition. How come it is now, after the congress, they are coming up with the issue. There is nothing of such and the petition won’t sail because it is a false claim”.
