The Abia State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on the Recovery of Government Properties and Funds heard testimony from Ejem Kalu, Director of Computer Services in the Abia State Ministry of Budget and Planning, and Mr. Umah Ukaonu, Retired Director of Debt Management in the Abia State Ministry of Finance, in response to a petition filed by A. Nwachukwu, alleging connivance and the withdrawal of millions of naira.
Another petition before the Panel said that Mrs. Joyce Chidozie Ubani had been wrongfully removed from her position as Head, NG Cares Units, and that no NG Cares projects had been implemented in the state of Abia.
Mr. Ejem Kalu, under cross-examination from the Council to the Panel, stated that Mrs. Joyce Chidozie Ubani never served as the head of the State Cares Coordinating Units (SCCU), and he went on to explain that the World Bank had instructed the State to appoint the SCCU from which he had emerged.
After documenting and completing 86% of NG Cares Units’ initiatives in Abia State, Kalu said 1.1 billion naira was dispersed to six platforms as the first installment.
The six platforms, according to Kalu, included Cash Transfer, which got 62 million naira, Labour Intensive Public Work, 61 million naira, CSDA 280 million naira, FADAMA, 517 million naira and SCCU got 142,980,244,60 naira.
He assured them that the 1.1 billion naira received from the World Bank had been put to good use.
According to Umah Ukaonu, who serves as both the Ministry’s Director of Debt Management and Director of Finance for several projects and programs, the funds in question were really released and withdrawn with the signature of the Permanent Secretary.
Ukaonu said 10 million naira was realized in 2022 from companies cooperating with the Abia State government, stating that revenues which came from such agreements, were directly deposited into government coffers.
In a separate case before the Judicial Panel, Mr. Henry Nwaijike, the former general manager of Methodological Complex Nig LTD, claimed that the company’s warehouses had been broken into and stolen of equipment and other machines.
He claimed he had reported the missing machinery and equipment to the appropriate authorities and denied taking any of the stolen government property.
However, the petitioner in the case, spokesperson for the Abia State Ministry of Trade, Commerce, and Industry Onyebuchi Nwankpa, stated that the former General Manager of Methodological Complex should explain how the machinery and equipment were stolen during the time of his handover.
Mrs. Enobong Okafor, Counsel to the Abia State Judicial Panel, argued that a letter dated 3/5/2022 by Johnson Onuoha proved that equipment was evacuated before Henry Nwaijike handed over management of Methodological Complex Nig LTD to Ada Chukwu, the company’s acting general manager.
