The Deputy Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Okey Onyekanma, has urged the House to probe the former governor, Rochas Okorocha, for allegedly spending about N500m to renovate the state House of Assembly complex.
The call followed a motion moved by the majority leader, Chigozie Nwaneri, demanding the urgent renovation of the Assembly complex.
Contributing to the motion, the deputy Speaker, who represents Mbaitoli state constituency, noted that it was worrisome that the complex was currently in a sorry state, despite reports that the Okorocha-led administration spent N500m to renovate it 2018.
“It is worrisome and high despicable, while I wholeheartedly support this motion, it is very important that we demand for an account of the huge amount which was spent in 2018 to renovate this House, yet this complex is still a disaster waiting to happen.
“The civil servants need to assist in this matter. Those who spent the over N500m in renovating this complex, which is now a death trap in less than a year after, need to account to Imo people,” he said.
The Majority Leader had in his motion warned that “the lives of the staff and honorable members of the Imo State House of Assembly would be in grave danger if the complex was not urgently renovated.
According to him, the complex may collapse and kill people if urgent steps are not taken towards renovating it.
Meanwhile, the lawmakers have called on the state Commissioner of Police, Rabiu Ladodo, to immediately commence retraining of police personnel in the state.
The call was contained in a motion sponsored by the member representing Obowo constituency, Kennedy Ibe, in response to the killing of a 25-year-old man, Ikenna Ukachi, by a police officer, Okechukwu Nwanesi, on Monday in Otoko community.
Ibe, in the motion, said policemen in the state were not operating in line with the rule of engagement for police officers.
The lawmaker noted that instead of protecting lives and property, some police officers have resorted to taking lives.
He said that the retraining programme would avert future killing of innocent civilians by trigger-happy police officers.
He further called on his colleagues to urge the state governor, Emeka Ihedioha, to establish 10 fire stations in the state.
Moving the motion, he said, “What happened in my state constituency on July 1 where a trigger-happy policeman, who was paid to protect human lives, killed a 25-year-old man from my constituency was highly condemnable.
“As a result of the provocative killing, the youth took laws into their hands and set ablaze the only police station in the community. Efforts made to put out the fire proved abortive because there was no fire fighting station in the area.
“I want to therefore pray that this House resolves to urge the commissioner of police to immediately begin retraining of policemen in the state to forestall future reoccurrence. The House should also resolve to urge the state governor to build at least one fire fighting station in the 10 federal constituencies of Imo State.”
Following the adoption of the motion after a voice vote by the Speaker, Collins Chiji, he mandated the Clerk of the House to write to the CP and the governor, telling them about the resolutions of the lawmakers.
