An Enugu group, the Enugu Rescue Group (ERG), has enumerated
what it called the Seven Cardinal Sins of Governor Sullivan Chime’s
administration, charging the regime of mindless looting and human rights
violations.
In a Statement made
available to the media in Enugu and signed by the group’s National Coordinator,
Mr. Christopher Ogbu, ERG said called for the urgent intervention of the
federal government, anti-graft agencies, and the Peoples Democratic Party to
rescue the state before it is too late.
The group said, “As a
matter of fact, governance stopped in the State on May 29, 2011, when Governor
Sullivan Chime was sworn into Office for a second term in Office. Not only is
the state being mindlessly bled to death through monumental corruption and
profligacy, we now live under conditions worse than Adolph Hitler’s Germany.
Today in Enugu, Chimecracy, a system of government in which dissent is an
anathema, no matter how reasonable, while impunity and tyranny by one man, his
family and cronies is the order of the day”.
See
Full Text of The Statement Below...
The 7 Cardinal
Sins of Governor Chime (Vol One)
It is with a heavy
heart that we, the good people of Enugu State, send this SOS to the President
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan,
GCFR, the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the anti-graft
agencies, and the Nigerian public over the reign of horrendous impunity and
grand corruption in Enugu State.
As a matter of fact,
governance stopped in the State on May 29, 2011, when Governor Sullivan Chime
was sworn into Office for a second term. Not only is the state being mindlessly
bled to death through monumental corruption and profligacy, we now live under
conditions worse than Adolph Hitler’s Germany. Today in Enugu, Chimecracy, a
system of government in which dissent is an anathema, no matter how reasonable,
while impunity and tyranny by one man, his family and cronies is a code of
official conduct, is the order of the day.
The Sins
1. Ingratitude: Wonder
why this comes first? Well, it is because Ausonius once said that “Earth
produces nothing worse than an ungrateful man”. Governor Chime is one man whose
political history is frost with innate ingratitude as though there is an unseen
force propelling him to seek the destruction of all who made him. A few
examples would suffice. Everyone knows that Governor Chimaroke Nnamani
literally made Sullivan Chime the Governor of Enugu State. But it is one
misjudgment that the former Governor lives to regret as Sullivan literally
destroyed Nnamani’s political and economic empires once he became Governor.
Former Governor of the State and National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Okwesili Eze
Nwodo, has his sad story to tell. Senator Jim Nwobodo was among those who
helped Governor Chime to secure a second term ticket, but he rewarded Nwobodo
by revoking his land title and sharing same to his cronies. Senator Ekweremadu
and Members of the National Assembly form Enugu State literally weathered
Chime’s political storm for him in 2011 to ensure he got a second term ticket,
among other support and solidarity. Yet Chime started waging a cold and
relentless war against them almost from the Okpara Square where he was sworn
in. This war has now blown open as he has unleashed a smear campaign on the
Senator Ekweremadu and other Members of the National Assembly from Enugu State
as well as the sabotage of their Constituency Projects.
On December 10, 2013,
Governor Chime summoned a meeting of all traditional rulers in Enugu State and
decreed to them that any royal father that allowed a Constituency Project in
his community without a written permission from would be summarily dethroned.
On 12th December 2013, the Governor, acting through the Chairman of Ezeagu LGA,
stopped work at the National Youth Centre attracted by Senator Ekweremadu to
lwolo for Ezeagu LGA.
He had also decreed
before now that no Member of the National Assembly from the State would be
re-elected in 2015. Governor Chime must be reminded what the Bible says about
ingratitude. Proverbs 17:13 says: “He who returns evil for good, Evil will
never depart from their home.”
2. Inflation of
Contracts: The Governor and his gang of oppressors had since embarked on
reckless contract inflation. It is a fact, for instance, that the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and
related Offences Commission, ICPC, are currently investigating allegations of
the inflation of the “N13 Billion” contract for the construction of the New
Secretariat Complex awarded to the Arab Contractors following a petition filed
by his kinsman, Mr. Osita Okechukwu. This is a project that experts have
insisted should not cost up to N5 billion in a sane society.
Indeed, only greed and
corruption, fueled by deliberate misplacement of priority could have pushed a
Governor to embark on such white elephant project in a state suffocating with
poverty and underdevelopment induced by dearth of basic socio-economic
infrastructures. Only such bottomless appetite for public funds could have
pushed a Governor to pull down former secretariat structures, even against a
groundswell of opposition from Enugu people, South Easterners, and against the
wise counsel of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, all of whom saw the structures as the
surviving legacies of the defunct Eastern Region, uniting edifice, and tourist
attraction that were only suffering from lack of maintenance.
3. Contract Sharing:
Enugu State is sinking under the weight of one man and his gang who see Enugu
State as their private estate. A case in point is the looting that has gone on
at the Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board for a long time now. It is
noteworthy that law enforcement agencies are currently investigating the
thievery and looting going on in the agency. An instance is the petition to the
Inspector-General of Police by the former Executive Chairman of the Enugu state
Universal Education Board, ESUBEB as well as Chime’s kinswoman, Chief Mrs.
Ethel Nebo-Ezeabasili, dated February 13, 2014 and entitled “Save my Soul:
Threat to my Life, Harassment and Intimidation by Mrs. Ifeoma Nwobodo, Chief of
Staff to The Governor of Enugu State”. The former executive Chairman explains
that once she (the former Executive Chairman) accessed the sum of N3.6 Billion
matching grant for the years 2009, 2010, and 2011, Mrs. Ifeoma Nwobodo
(Governor Chime’s point woman) hijacked and manipulated the processes of
project execution. And after many flip-flops, Mrs. Nwobodo awarded contracts
for a whooping 583 (Five hundred and Eighty-Three) projects to only four
companies (New Techniques Nigeria Ltd, Raycon Nigeria Ltd, J & J Techno Nigeria
Ltd, and Akota Work Nigeria Ltd.) to be executed by direct labour. But
Nigerians should note that by the Procurement Act, no contractor is to tender
or be awarded more than a single project or one lot! And it was the former
Executive Chairman’s stand against such reckless and fraudulent sharing of
contracts that earned her the boot.
It is noteworthy that at
the height of the ruthless onslaught against her, the poor woman’s Office was
invaded on October 1, 2012 and project files and other vital document were
carted away, while several attempts were made on life. Her petition to the
Director of State Security, Enugu State and another to the Commissioner for
Police all dated November 2, 2012, tell the rest of the story. But this is just
a glimpse of the impunity and highhandedness meted to those who stand in the
way of corruption in the State.
4. Money Laundering: It
is not surprising, therefore, that the Enugu State Government and Governor
Chime’s Chief of Staff/“Woman Friday”, Mrs. Ifeoma Nwobodo is currently
undergoing investigation over charges of laundering multibillion naira funds of
the poor people of Enugu State. This followed a petition to the Police IG,
detailing that the money laundering and looting started from April 21, 2011.
That was just a few days before Governor Sullivan Chime was inaugurated for a
second tenure. It is for reasons such as this that we insist that governance
stopped in Enugu from May 29, 2011.
We will publish the
complete dossier in volume 2 of the Rescue Statement, including the onshore and
offshore businesses and real estates.
5. Human Rights Abuse:
Enugu State is now the new ugly face of human rights abuse in Nigeria. The
detention of Enugu’s First Lady, Mrs. Clara Chime by Governor Chime, which he
justified on account of alleged health challenge, has turned the State from a
land known for peace and freedom to one of odious repression. Enugu State now
holds the loathsome record of the first state to convert its Government House
to a Mental Home. What a shame!
6. Poor workers welfare:
Despite the mindless lootings going on in the State, the Enugu State’s
workforce remains the least paid in the whole country. Any form of industrial
action or complaint is met with brute force.
7. Perjury: Contrary to
the Oath of Office he swore to, Governor Sullivan Chime lied to the people of
the State that he was enjoying an accumulated leave, whereas he was lying
seriously ill in overseas hospitals. He deceived the people for 140 days!
Conclusion
We wish to assert that the
foregoing are just a tip of the iceberg of the rot and looting that are
bleeding Enugu State to death, a mere glimpse of the despotism under which
weight our beloved State is sinking. We therefore call on President Goodluck
Jonathan, the PDP, the anti-graft and law enforcement agencies, and indeed
other well meaning Nigerians to come to our rescue before it is too late.
Ozo Christopher Ogbu
National Coordinator
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