Okorocha accuses Ihedioha of not justifying N109b received in two months

• Gov explains delay in appointing commissioners, urges them to shun corruption
• Approves 250 refuse bins for Owerri

Immediate past governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha, has accused Governor Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of not justifying the N109 billion that accrued to the state since it took over two months ago.

The Senate Committee Chairman on Culture and Tourism also accused Ihedioha of destroying his legacies, priding it as his achievements so far in office.

In a statement yesterday by his Special Adviser (Media), Sam Onwuemeodo, the former All Progressives Congress (APC) governor accused the PDP and Ihedioha of fighting him because he defeated them in the 2011 and 2015 elections.

But Ihedioha fired back, accusing Okorocha of misrule for eight years, adding that he came to make government work again, having reduced the number of ministries from 31 to functional 18.He explained that it took him about 70 days to appoint and inaugurate commissioners because he wanted to rationalise the 31 ministries he met on the ground.

Swearing in 17 commissioners, two special advisers and a deputy chief of staff, Government House at the Ahiajoku Convention Centre, Owerri, yesterday, the governor urged the commissioners to be committed and fair in the discharge of their duties.He added: “You must be a team player and eschew corruption. If you under-perform, I will not hesitate to replace you.”

Responding on behalf of other commissioners, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, who was Minister of State for Education under the Goodluck Jonathan regime, thanked the governor for the opportunity given them, promising to perform in line with the ‘rebuild’ mantra of the administration.

Worried by the poor sanitary and flooding conditions of Owerri and environs, Ihedioha has approved the purchase of 250 refuse bins for the capital city.His special adviser on sanitation-cum-general manager of the state’s Environmental Transformation Commission (ENTRACO), Alex Emeziem (Jr.), disclosed this yesterday in Owerri.

According to Emeziem, the bins would be stationed in Works Layout, Ikenegbu Layout, Okigwe Road among others on the first phase of the ‘Go Clean, Stay Clean’ slogan of the government.During the July environmental sanitation exercise in the state, it took 10 pay loaders three days to evacuate rubbish from each zone in the capital city, he added, warning that after stationing the bins, anyone caught littering any part of the city would be fined N5,000.