Days after the new Commissioners’ designates for Imo State Executive Council were cleared and confirmed by the Imo State House of Assembly, Trumpeta can exclusively reveal that in-fighting and intensive lobbying for juicy ministries are said to be responsible for the stay-of-action adopted by the State Governor for the swearing-in.
It would be recalled that the Commissioner nominees’ alongside other categories of appointees were on Tuesday handed a clean bill of health by the state lawmakers to be used by the State Governor.
However, the desire of some ambitious Commissioners in getting their choice portfolios seems to be delaying Okorocha from going ahead with the official inauguration.
Government House sources revealed that the Governor is confused on who to allocate some vital ministries, adding that the concerned commissioners are using subtle means to outwit each other into getting Okorocha’s favour for their choice ministries. It was gathered that a particular Commissioner who hails from Orlu Zone is surreptitiously pulling strings in various quarters to get either any of the lucrative Miniseries of Works and Transport, Health, Lands and Education. A returnee Commissioner is exploiting his filial and personal relationship with Okorocha to get the Works Ministry. Trumpeta was told that despite that the said appointee has no responsible academic qualification to be made a Commissioner nominee, the Governor’s aide is desperate about the Work’s Ministry portfolio. The numerous projects he has been handling for the state governor since the Exco was dissolved prompted him to seek the plum office in the incoming Exco Council.
The Commissioner designate has been contacting the immediate family members of the Governor for support and conviction. The Commissioner who held sensitive offices in the past is said to be working against the interest of the immediate past Commissioner, Nick OparaNdudu, who it was noted put sanity in the Ministry after former Deputy Governor, Sir Jude Ejiogu was removed from the position. To show that Ndudu managed affairs of the ministries well, he received an award from the Governor and ended up getting re-nomination as Commissioner.
Our source revealed that instead of using Ndudu or the Commissioner scheming for the Ministry, Okorocha’s favoured son-in-law, Uche Nwosu may be deployed to the Ministry of Works. The criticisms that will follow Nwosu’s retention of the Lands, Housing and Urban Development Ministry may force Okorocha into drafting his inlaw to the Works Ministry.
As Okorocha may gamble with moving out Uche from the Lands Ministry, other returnee Commissioners are angling for the lucrative Ministry of Lands and Urban Development. With the Rescue Mission’s development of several untouched lands, the person in charge of the land Ministry in the state may turn to a demi-god in the present government.
Other ministries being sought after are the Health and Education ministries. Okorocha is also said to be confused on who to deploy to the two vital sectors of government leading to intensive lobbying. Though one of the Commissioners has a medical background, but it is said that Government House is entertaining fear of transferring the services of the returnee Commissioner to Health Ministry. Apart from being a junior medical personnel who may not handle the excesses of highly qualified and experienced bureaucrats in the health sector in the state, his past records in the state-owned teaching hospital at Orlu is not heartwarming to be entrusted with the Ministry of Health portfolio. It was also learnt that the plethora of petitions that heralded the appointment of the Commissioner from Owerri Zone is making the State Governor pause for a while before considering the Commissioner for Health Ministry.
The Education ministry is another hot bed where some of the commissioners want to take charge and been making contacts for that purpose. Because of the enormous financial votes and number of parasatals in the Ministry, the sector is attractive and most appointees from the academia are reportedly angling for the position. With law teacher, Prof Nnabue and another IMSU lecturer, Prof Okoro in the new Exco, the Governor is said to be undecided on who to chose among them including renowned Educationists, Mma Onyechere.
Same applies to the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development where the Governor is confused on who to use among the three women for the position. Using one of the Women Commissioners who has rich pedigree in women mobilization could be said to be counter-productive as her reported ill temperament may not go down well with the generality of women in the state. The woman commissioner who has crossed several political paths may re-open old wounds and endanger the Governor’s image before the women folk if allowed to be
