In the wake of the recent political tantrum credited to the immediate past Commissioner for Transport and former Chairman of the Imo Transport Company Management Board, Chief Lasbery Okaforanyanwu claiming to have left 134 functional vehicles while leaving office, the ITC Workers Union has reacted swiftly describing his claims as spurious, bogus, untrue and smacks of a man who can best be described as a serial liar, celebrated fraudster and number 1 enemy of ITC workers, welfare and progress.
The workers referred to Okaforanyanwu’s publication in the Big Truth and the White Paper newspapers of 11th October, 2019. The Union noted with huge concern that Lasbery Okaforanyanwu’s claims amounts to promoting indignity of a first class order in an office which ordinarily should be the exclusive preserve of men of honour and integrity to occupy Such a public office, it says caters for the welfare of the highest employment figure in an Imo business establishment cutting across workers from different communities in the state.
“As far as ITC workers are concerned, Lasbery Okaforanayanwu is bad news. He is a joker, a liar,” the ITC Workers Union declared.
The Union lamented that at no time was ITC concessioned to Lasbery Okaforanyanwu as he claimed noting with regret that till date he never paid workers their May 1 to 30th May 2019 allowances. It noted the urgency of Lasbery giving account of the said unpaid allowances to workers which it alleged was obviously misappropriated. The Union said, for the records, that rather than blackmailing the current Interim Management Committee led by Chairman Emeka Aririguzo, “ITC has come alive, contrary to the expectations, plans and proposal of the last administration and proposal of Lasbery Okaforanyanwu”.
It commended the current IMC Chairman noting that he had been working tirelessly to improve the company’s profile and ensuring that workers are paid as at when due. The situation, the Union noted, remains a departure from what Okaforanyanwu did during his inglorious administration: paying workers mere allowances in pro-rata basis while neglecting their age-old practiced pattern of settling workers emoluments. The union noted that the Aririguzo administration inherited just a few vehicles from Okaforanyanwu even as he is now working hard to increase the fleet. From records the Union said, “Records at ITC revealed that the number of operational buses Lasbery left for ITC is 36. The claim of Lasbery that he left 134 buses is totally false and unfounded. May be he included the buses he bought for his own personal use and franchise buses is converted using ITC funds to procure and maintain”. The union said, “It is very painful that instead of procuring buses for ITC to enable her serve the public, Lasbery converted some already exiting vehicles of the company to himself and even used ITC funds to buy some vehicles registered with ITC for purely a private business,” the Union declared. It listed the buses to include: (1). HB 20 IM (2) 14B 110 in Hummer bus (3) ABJ 580 xF Hummer Bus (4) IM 124A 28 Coaster bus (5) 14B 315m Coaster bus (6) 14B 34IM Coaster bus (vii)14B 051 m Hummer bus. The Union explained that the listed buses operated in ITC but the funds they generated were paid into Lasbery Okaforanyanwu’s private account in his company, Oma Oil & Gas. Since the Aririguzo management came on board, the Union stated, staff salaries have been paying at 100% as duly approved by the state government, the Union also explains. It also blamed Lasbery for the poor and unhealthy ITC work environment which was bushy with shabby offices which currently have received a new look delivered by the present management. The Union used the forum to extol the new IMC for restoring electricity and water supply which it says has made workers happy and comfortable.
