The Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, Friday, inaugurated the Judicial Panel with a mandate to recover the state’s assets, by probing the immediate-past administration of his predecessor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu.
He said the development is in response to the requests by residents following the large-scale allegations of misuse and misappropriation of public resources by former government officials.
“Ordinarily, the desire of this administration would have been to focus on the business of governance and the delivering of the dividend of democracy, without resorting to any form of inquiry into past deeds,” Otti wrote on his Twitter handle Friday afternoon.
“However, in response to large-scale allegations of misuse and misappropriation of public resources by former officials; a very hostile handover with many assets inaccessible and operations starting from ground zero, public lands and institutions – including Schools – were not spared from conversion to private use; emphasizes the need for inquiry and accountability, as advocated by our citizens.”
Amongst others, Governor Otti listed the responsibility of the Panel to include: Investigate complaints of government property misuse and recommend remedial actions, and Identify illegal acquisition/conversion of state assets and suggest recovery methods.
Others he said were: Analyze land allocation/revocation from May 2015-2023, judging their appropriateness, Review contract awards from May 2015-2023 for legality, and Investigate other matters incidental or related to the above, making further recommendations.
“We anticipate a swift operation from the panel, and encourage public support for the recovery of our shared wealth. With your excellent records, we trust you will help rebuild Abia State.
“To current officials, let this be a reminder of accountability: Your actions today will be judged tomorrow,” Governor Otti concluded.
