ENUGU State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, on Monday, inaugurated a nine-man Audit Committee to inquire, investigate, ascertain and take proper inventory of all the movable assets formally allocated to, or purchased by, the various World Bank/Development Partner Assisted Projects/Programmes in the state, from January 1, 2015 to date.
The Audit Committee is headed by Uche Nnadi, who was sworn- in by Ugwuanyi at the EXCO Chambers, Lion Building, Government House, Enugu, as his Special Adviser, shortly before the inauguration.
Nnadi until his new appointment, was the State Focal Person, World Bank/Development Partner Assisted Projects.
Inaugurating members of the committee, the governor read out the terms of reference which include, to identify the current locations of the movable assets and determine the state of their functionally, as well as their current valuation.
Ugwuanyi added that the committee is also mandated to recover and assemble the identified assets in a secured place chosen by the state government, while awaiting further directives of the government regarding their future usage or disposal schedules.
Other terms of reference are “to deploy the human and material resources available to the committee to ensure transparent audit of all the movable assets deployed to unofficial uses/users and recover same, to investigate any other matter that may come to the knowledge of the committee which these terms of reference may not cover such as ascertaining the bank balances of the closed Projects/Programmes, and to, generally, make recommendations to government on the management of the recovered assets, how best to avert/prevent future mismanagement, misapplication or outright conversion of such assets, for the benefit of the good people of Enugu State”.
Members of the committee are Mr. Robinson Odoh (Secretary); Bishop Chinedu Nwoye; Mr. Anthony Okoye (Transport Officer, G.H.E); Mrs. Ijeoma O. Mbah (representing SSG’s Office); Mr. Darlington Igwe (rep. COS’s Office); Mrs. Ngozi Okonta (rep. State Auditor General); Mr. Fidelis Omeje (rep. State Accountant General) and Barr. Gerald Asogwa.
Other members are Mr. Sylva Adonu (Administrative Secretary, Focal Office), Mrs. Celestina Aga (Chief Admin. Officer, State Ministry of Agriculture) and Mr. Innocent Ogbu (MIS/ICT Focal Office) will serve in the Secretariat.
Meanwhile, the Justice Harold Eya-led Judicial Commission of Inquiry constituted by Ugwuanyi to investigate and ascertain the remote and immediate causes of the communal crisis in Oruku Community of Nkanu East Local Government Area of the state, on Monday, submitted its report to the governor.
Submitting the report, Justice Eya thanked Ugwuanyi for his firm commitment to the sustenance of peace and development in Enugu State.
He expressed optimism that the findings and recommendations of the panel will go a long way to bring lasting peace and security in Oruku, pointing out that “this is yet another peace-building initiative of Your Excellency in Oruku Community of Nkanu East LGA of Enugu State”.
He added that the Commission’s report is the beginning of another phase in the annals of the ethnographic configuration known as Oruku Community, stressing that “our gathering here will turn out to be the beginning of a new phase of the community’s corporate existence.
“The Oruku crisis was a matter of ego tussle among the elites that brought the youth and tore them apart”, he said.
Receiving the report, Ugwuanyi expressed delight that the Commission has completed its assignment within the remit of its terms of reference.
He said that his administration will expeditiously and diligently study the report, accept and implement as appropriate.
The governor expressed hope that the findings and recommendations of the Commission, as well as the consequential government action will restore peace and order to the community.
While thanking the members of the Commission for the gravitas they brought to bear on the task, Ugwuanyi appreciated the people of Oruku for the support and cooperation they availed the panel in the course of the assignment.
Recall that Ugwuanyi, in the wake of the Oruku crisis, which led to the killing of the traditional ruler of the community, late Igwe Emmanuel Chidiebere Mba, inaugurated the five-man panel, with a view to finding a lasting peace in the area and preventing similar crisis in future.
The governor urged the people of Oruku Community to stay the course of peace, which his administration has striven to entrench and nurture in the state.
Other members of the Commission were HRH Igwe Ambassador, Lawrence Agubuzu, Prof. Den Chris Onah, Barr. Anthony Ogbu, Dr. Mrs. Chinwe Onah, Dr. Godwin Anigbo (Secretary) and Barr. Paschal Okoloagu (Counsel for the Commission).
