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| How Rochas Okorocha squandered N20 billion Imo bailout fund |
It has been uncovered how the Imo State governor, Owelle Anayo Rochas Okorocha pilfered 20 billion Naira out of the N26 billion allocated to the State from the federal government bailout fund.
According to official report, Imo State collected the sum of N26,806,430.000.00 from the Central Bank of Nigeria [CBN].
However, informational available to Elombah, only N6 billion Naira out of the appropriated to the state was disbursed.
It was revealed that the bailout fund was paid into two commercial banks and part of it transferred part of the money into uses not related to workers’ salaries.
In earlier investigations, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission. [ICPC] said it discovered that N2 billion was lodged into a Government House Account.
Another N2 billion was paid into Imo State Project Account.
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How Gov Okorocha squandered N20 billion Imo bailout fund
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While another N2 billion was lodged in a micro-finance bank and a ‘management fee’ of N21 million paid into an unspecified account out of the bailout fund received by the state.
The corruption lid was blown open when the Imo State government allegedly lost a staggering N7.2 billion to a Togolese cook.
The cook was employed by the son-in-law and Chief of Staff to Governor Rochas Okorocha, Hon. Uche Nwosu.
According to sources, the money was comprised as follows:
- 4 million dollars,
- 3.1 million pounds, and,
- more than 4 billion Naira.
They were stashed in Nwosu’s room, being part of the federal government’s N26.5billion bailout fund given to the state government for the payment of the workers’ salaries.
Investigation revealed that the cook took advantage of Uche Nwosu’s trip abroad and swooped on the money kept in metal safe in the governor’s son-in-law’s room.
Another source, however, revealed to Community Watchdog, an indigenous news media, that it was N5 billion that was stolen.
Following the Community Watchdog expose on Uche Nwosu, goons suspected to be on his payroll immediately commenced attempts to assassinate the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Comrade Precious Nwadike.
First was a lady who severally buzzed and called the phone number of Comr. Nwadike demanding for an instant appointment at Rock View Hotels Owerri.
There she intended booking for or negotiating an advertisement to be placed in the Community Watchdog Newspapers.
When told to go to the Newspaper's office to place such advertisement especially after admitting that it was for a “Change of Name”, the lady declined.
She insisted that she has to meet with the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, eye ball-to-eye ball in order to book for the advertisement.
Her request was however turned down making way for what has come to be a “Plan B”.
The “Plan B” quickly followed on Thursday, November 5, 2015 when a man walked briskly into the newsroom of Community Watchdog.
He revealed to the female staff on duty how he was privy to a plan quickly hatched at Government House Owerri.
The plan, according to him, was aimed specifically to eliminate Comr. Precious Nwadike for having the guts and effrontery to publish a particular article.
It is a pity that while Imo workers were exposed to pangs of hunger and penury, someone else had the temerity to allegedly stash away such a ridiculous sum of money.
The sum was allegedly in the neighbourhood of about N10 billion, from where the cook reportedly helped himself with as much as N5 billion.
The embattled Chief of Staff to Governor Rochas Okorocha had tried to save face by instituting legal fireworks against Community Watchdog Newspapers.
The fireworks commenced on Monday December 14, 2015 at Magistrate Court of Owerri Judicial Division, presided over by Magistrate Njemanze which has so far proved to be nothing but distractions.
The onus, by and large, depends on Governor Okorocha to explain to Imolites: WHERE IS THE IMO STATE N20,785,412,190.00 BAILOUT FUND?
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