Enugu Assembly in face-off with Gov Chime, orders AG to submit account

Enugu State House of Assembly on Thursday directed the state Accountant-General, Mr. Paschal Okolie, to submit a detailed report to the House on income and expenditure of the state from January last year to date for necessary scrutiny.

The House gave the Accountant General was given up to next Monday to turn in the detailed account unfailingly.

Members of the House also passed a vote of confidence on the Speaker of the House, Mr. Eugene Odo, who has come under severe criticism from the aides of the state governor Sullivan Chime for his handling of some contentious decisions of Chime administration at its dying time.

Okolie, who  had evaded summons by the lawmakers, finally showed up at the Thursday session.

He explained  that half of their members allowances in had been paid into the coffers of the Assembly.

According to him, others will be paid.
At the sitting, members endorsed  the speaker, while berating  the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Chukwudi Achife, for his invectives on the speaker over the collective decisions of the House.

Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Mr. Lawrence Agbo, had on Sunday called for a public debate on the burning issues taken by the House which did not go down well with the executive.

He said: “They (Executive) are angry because the House insisted that the water concession plan for 25 years be suspended.

''We stopped land allocation at International Conference Centre; construction of Park and Shop mall adjacent to the House of Assembly complex as well as land allocation at old Eastern Nigeria Industrial Centre at Zik, Avenue Enugu.

“Other issues were probe of alleged fictitious award of contracts by Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board, ENSUBEB, and request for cancellation of land allocation to individuals around the 3-arms zone of the state, all done in public interest”.

According to Agbo,  “the House of Assembly is made up of 24 members and as it is in any legislative House, the position of the speaker is merely to preside and rule on the majority decisions of the members on any issue.

''Therefore, the position of the speakership is more administrative than legislative, so that publication by the governor's Chief Press Secretary appeared personal.

“It is unfortunate as it was aimed at denigrating the image and the person of the honorable Speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly and apparently misleading the good people of Enugu State and the general public on issues raised in the publication, hence we call for public debate, to ascertain who acted in the interest of the public and posterity.”

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