The Special Adviser to Imo State Governor on Local Government And Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon Mayor Eze has made it clear that the Governor of Imo State, Chief Emeka Ihedioha is still committed to seeing that Imo Local Government Areas are headed by elected council chairmen.
Speaking to Trumpeta on the grounds of Imo Concorde Hotel Owerri, during the 2019 Ahiajoku Colloquium, the former Executive Chairman of Orlu LGA maintained that Ihedioha remains a man whose word is his bond.
Eze Mayor explained that though elections are billed for Imo LGAs, but all depends on the preparation of the Imo State Independent Electoral Commission ISIEC whose duty it is to see to the election in the LGAs.
Mayor Eze hinted that a situation where the ISIEC failed to meet its target for the council election due to one reason or the other it should not be seen as a problem, provided the council poll holds.
He said that the Governor, Emeka Ihedioha is doing everything possible to recover Imo LGAs through his office, adding that already the story of Imo LGAs has changed for the better since six months now the Ihedioha regime assumed office.
Mayor Eze pointed out that the humungous progress recorded in the LGAs so far in terms of ongoing projects is because of the constant monitoring of activities in the LGAs by his office, stressing that he has no apologies for not giving the LGA Interim Management Committees breathing spaces in making sure they arrive at the targets given to them by the Governor.
On the 2020 Imo Budget, the former member of House of Representatives said that appropriation is the duty of the legislature, adding that as a former lawmaker, after going through Imo budget 2020, he was happy that Imo is primed for greatness under Ihedioha.
He opined that the Budget was made so simple by the Governor to the extent that even laymen can comprehend the 2020 Imo Budget.
“In the first place, budgets are not supposed to be made complicated for the people to understand. The 2020 Imo Budget is too simple and clear, with the capital Expenditure higher than the Recurrent Expenditure which is an indication that Ihedioha is committed to developing Imo State” he said.
The former council Boss stressed that with the Budget now presented to the House, it is now the duty of the Ministries, Agencies and Parastatals to go and defend their budgets for the next fiscal year, saying that Ihedioha has brought about openness in Governance, which he said breeds transparency and discipline in Government.
Speaking on the just concluded 2019 Ahiajioku Festival, Mayor Eze said that the Festival is an intellectual harvest that binds Ndigbo together to sale their customs and culture to other parts of the world, lamenting that it was shameful that the cultural cum Intellectual Festival suffered a lull in the last eight years, due to the administration of Governor Rochas Okorocha which never gave recognition to intellectualism, culture and custom.
“After Eight years, Governor Ihedioha threw Imo State open once more to the world to explore the intellectual and cultural heritage of the Igbo man. By next year, the Festival will attend a new height” he said.
About his office, which has been saddled to supervise the Twenty Seven LGAs of the State, Mayor Eze said even though the task is tough, but he is happy that the targeted goals of the Ihedioha regime is being achieved, with the LGA secretariat and stadium projects in the 27 LGAs nearing completion within six months, which he said has never be attained by any regime of the State.
