Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
The Judicial Panel of Inquiry on the Recovery of Stolen Government Property and Funds of Abia State, has submitted its report to Governor Alex Otti.
This is as the Governor has vowed to implement the recommendations of the panel irrespective of whose ox is gored.
Otti who spoke while receiving the report of the panel, said his administration was fully determined to implement the panels report, and recover every property of Government in private hands.
The Governor who disclosed that some of the officials of Government in the previous administration involved in looting of Government property, had returned some of them, urged those yet to comply to make haste before the big hammer falls on them.
He said: “One thing that is not lacking in this government is courage. It is only courage that you require to do the right thing.”
“I can assure you that we are going to take this report very very seriously and we are going to implement it to the latter.”
“I want to reassure you that none of your recommendations will be swept under the carpet.
“It doesn’t matter how long you have been living in a decayed system. Once you have the courage to correct it, you will start a new journey and anytime you start a new journey with courage, you will also be able to complete it,” Otti said.
“Already, some of the people you had called have already started complying. One came here to return documents of a property somewhere that he acquired illegitimately and he said he didn’t want our trouble.”
Governor Otti, meanwhile, approved the request of the panel for extension of its lifespan to be able to conclude some of the pending petitions.
He said: “Since there are petitions that have not been investigated, more time should be given to the panel to cover such areas instead of abruptly terminating the job of the panel.
“I received the interim report earlier and I can confirm that the report was a job thoroughly done. I have no doubt that this final report would not depart from that trajectory you have set.
“I had also heard how people tried to frustrate your efforts and also how you resisted them. This will go down in history as part of the courageous effort you and your team had made to rescue Abia State and to put it on the developmental path,” Governor Otti stated.
Gov. Otti lauded the Chairman of the panel, Justice Florence Duruoha Igwe and her team for their resilience and dedication.
Speaking earlier while submitting the three-volume report to the Governor, the Chairman of the Panel of Inquiry on recovery of government property and funds, Justice Florence Duruoha-Igwe, who said that the panel received 350 petitions and memoranda and had 99 sittings explained that they were able to conclude on such areas of their assignment as markets, lands, employments, movable properties, contracts and other related matters.
According to her, they did their best despite challenges and ‘not minding whose ox was gored’ and appealed to the Governor to pay attention to the panel’s recommendations.
Otti had, while setting up the panel advised anyone in custody of any Government property, to voluntarily return same or brace up for trouble.
