By Izunna Okafor, Awka
A top government worker and Chairman, Publicity Committee, Anambra State Local Government Service Week program, Comrade Nnamdi Nweke, has debunked, as untrue, the trending alleging reports that the Chairman of the Local Government Service Commission (LGSC), Barr. Vincent Ifeanyi Ezeaka, diverted part of the money donated by Governor Chukwuma Soludo for local government workers who attended the event.
According to him, the LGSC was surprised at such media outburst orchestrated by opposition elements in the state, as the Chairman of the Local Government Service commission is yet to receive report from the Organizing Committee who were saddled with the responsibility of the planning and execution of the just-concluded Local Government Service Week. He added that, even as at the time of filing this report, the Organizing Committee are still busy with programmes, as the Sub-committee on Finance who handled the largesse are yet to report back to the Chairman as well.
Speaking to newsmen in an interview after the thanksgiving mass on Sunday held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral Awka, Comrade Nweke who is also the Head of Department Education and Social Development, Anambra West Local Government, said the report of diversion of the workers’ largesse was not only false, but also malicious.
“We thank the Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo for supporting the workers present at the opening ceremony with twenty thousand naira transportation allowance each.
“This is a proof that Soludo is a workers-friendly governor. He said it and implemented it.
“The money was brought through the Commissioner for Local Government and was prudently distributed to the officers concerned,” he said.
Continuing, he said: “The Anambra State LGSC wishes to set the record straight and to convey to Ndị Anambra and the general public that the allegations are false and devoid of any iota of truth.
“It’s simply the handiwork of mischief makers and enemies of Anambra State Government, bent on creating unnecessary tension in the State and whose intention is also aimed at rubbishing the monumental achievements in Local Government Reforms and zero tolerance to corruption initiated by the award-winning Commission Chairman, Barr. Ezeaka.
Mr. Nweke further added that, for clarity sake, the Local Government Service Commission Chairman never disbursed any money, but ordered that the attendees’ transport fares be shared to all the LG workers entitled to it, as was directed by Mr Governor Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo, and which was also carried out immediately. He also explained that all the attendees present at the hall collected their N20,000 largesse together with their lunch package which was shared local government by local government.
His words: “The Commission equally wants to inform the general public that the Solution Vanguard drawn from the 21 LGAs were not among the 30 participants per local government. Also, the ushers, strike force, drivers, Solution Magazine members, various committee members, among others drawn from the 21 LGAs engaged in one service or the other were part of the money but not included in the 30 names per local government.
“Moreso, we noticed that some LG Staff started calling their friends and relations on phone when they noticed that the money was provided physically immediately at the hall. Their names were not included in the list submitted earlier and they were the people shouting and creating unnecessary tension when they noticed they were not part of the money.
“ANSLGSC found it absurd and surprising that some uninformed disgruntled analogue elements and agents of destabilization would publish such baseless allegations and lies against the person of Barr. Vin Ezeaka, whose pedigree as an incorruptible personality and his impeccable record of zero tolerance of corruption and other related vices are emulative.
“The rumour is a false information. And the publication is a calculated attempt to tarnish the reputation of Barr. Ezeaka who planned the successful program intended to transform local government system positively.”
Nweke added that the purveyors of the misleading publication intentionally wanted to bastardize the program and damage the reputation of the Chairman, who, he said, has done what other Commission Chairmen were not able to do since the creation of Anambra State Local Service Commission.
Speaking on the outcome of the event, he said: “The program was very successful, and I commend Governor Chukwuma Soludo for giving approval for the local government system to carry out this program and for coming personally on Tuesday 25th 2004 at the Prof. Dora Akunyili Women Development Center, Awka to declare it up.
“Mr. Governor was very happy with the turnout and was impressed with the quality paper presentations and the speech of the Keynote Speaker.
“I thank Mr. Governor for giving the local government the opportunity to organize the program and am also grateful to Barr. Vin Ifeanyi Ezeaka, Chairman of the Local Government Service Commission who liaised with the Board to get the approval from Mr. Governor to run the five-day program with quality paper presentation by reputable professors from Anambra State and beyond.
“There were delegations from the 21 local government and invited guests. This is the first of its kind since the creation of local government system in Anambra State.”
When asked the impact of the event and the expectation from the participants, he said: “The expectations from local government workers is that henceforth, they would be ICT-compliant. They are expected to put into practice all they were taught during the paper presentations, especially on the need for immediate transformation from analogue to digital way of service, because everything was centered on ICT.
“We want a situation whereby the Chairman of Anambra Service Commission would call an officer from the field to forward to him the activities carried out within the day and they will do so without transporting themselves, thereby, reducing the cost and risk of transportation.
“We have alot of lessons learnt from the program which will help us to be more efficient in our delivery and services at the grassroot, change our attitude to work, and also ensure that all we are doing is in line with the policy and transformation agenda of Governor Chukwuma Soludo.”
Concluding, he said: “We are ready to go back to work because we have been equipped both practically and theoretically from the resource persons. It’s now time for us to step it down to the grassroots, and the government has promised to assist us by providing necessary amenities.”
