By Okey Alozie
The probe panel sitting at High Court Nine (9) Owerri has frowned on how contractors and government officials could not follow due process in the execution of government projects.
The committee has discovered how multiple payments were made on the same contract coupled with other irregularities that existed during Okorocha’s era.
Our correspondent who has been monitoring proceedings of the panel at the High Court premises, Owerri reports that the Gosh company owner, Mr Jeff Okoh was drilled again on the contract he handled for Imo State Government especially on the government House chapel, chamber of commerce, International Conference Centre (IICC) Owerri, supply of vehicles, accreditation of IMSU, erosion control project, extension of airport road to four lane and the alleged multiple names used for the execution of contracts within Ex-governor Rochas Okorocha’s era covering from 2011-2019.
The panel frowned on the method of contract and the inability of Gosh owner to explain beyond reasonable doubts of how those contracts were directly given to him or subleted to him.
Furthermore, when the panel wanted to know if the governor was the one that subleted the contract or his agents’ then Gosh owner was able to stand his fact on the Imo International Conference Centre (IICC) project located along Bank road Owerri were he fully testified on Wednesday May 27, 2020 that he did a subcontract job there. He mentioned Mr Anyim Nyerere as his principal contractor that subleted the job to him.
In others project mentioned the panel found it so difficult to ascertain the truth whether it was done as direct contract or subleted and this development led to a lot of argument during last Wednesday sitting of the probe panel, the panel resolved to give Jeff some of the papers he previously submitted to enable him give a better explanation on the nomenclature of the jobs he did.
“Do you still maintain that your payment came from government house as you stated previously” the panel questioned. Jeff answered yes that all his payment come from Account-General’s office but the panel put it to him that it was not true at this point he was asked to explain on transfer from Imo State Government House coupled with that from Government taskforce and Imo IGR, if the transfer are from different accounts. Jeff then explained that he did most of his job on intervention bases and not mainly on contract moreover the job he said were done orally. The panel then asked if there is any document to back up what he said. Jeff went further to explain that he did his job first before payment adding that the work he did were all itemized and submitted a booklet to portray his point.
“We want evidence to show that you actually did the job and not the payment you are showing us” a panel member insisted. “Please know the nomenclature you are using on the issue of the job you did if it was direct job or not” the panel maintained. At this juncture Jeff disclosed that the Govt House Chapel, chamber of commerce and other jobs he handled were submitted to him by Govt but his lawyer then intervened and said “give him time to explain himself before giving out any nomenclature, even me as a lawyer I don’t know what is sub-contract because a lawyer doesn’t know everything”.
Jeff further told the panel that Governor Okorocha met him and told him to provide a drawing for the Govt House Chapel and after that Okorocha gave him the job that it is now left for the professionals to know the right nomenclature for the job at Govt House Chapel. But remember that the chapel fell down and I was asked to take over, it is clear that someone did a job before me but am not suppose, to know the person who did the job since the governor has given the job to me.
Obviously it was not a ghost that did the job, Jeff maintained he didn’t start the job from foundation.
He identified himself as project manager maintaining that his company Gosh concept did a design and completed the subcontract.
“Tell us the extent of job you did and what you saw before you started and why did you now get your payment from Govt House if it should be termed that you did a sub-contract.
The chairman of the panel Justice Benjamin Iheaka insisted that if Jeff did not want to agree on the nomenclature of the sub-contract let him now establish that it was a direct contract that existed. The judge explained that the panel would want to ascertain the truth by establishing that there was no double payment on a particular contract that existed in Imo State, adding that when one works for Govt that is contract but the issue of subcontract and contract is what is causing the problem.
Another question came up on the issue of erosion control at Aba road and Urban renewal project at the tune of 2.6billion naira, extension of airport road (four lanes) from the toll gate at the tune of 4.5 billion naira.
Jeff explained that the airport project was handled by Gosh and not Gafied. Jeff took time to explain that all that happened were recorded in the papers that he submitted to the panel as evidence adding that the actual amount paid to him for the four lane route was 2.5 billion naira.
The issue of urban renewal project phase two where one of his company by name Grafied received 5 billion naira but Jeff was surprised has he told the panel that he did not have anything to do with such project (urban renewal project phase 2 ) talkless of receiving 2.5 of the 5.5 billion as speculated “nothing like that” Jeff answered.
In some of the supply at Govt House which Jeff claimed he handled it was surprising to hear that his name was not even mentioned in the records giving to the panel.
