◾Says his administration will neither hire nor negotiate with him
By Mark Chukwu, Umuahia
The executive Governor of Abia State, Dr Alex Otti has berated a former Commissioner for Information, Eze Chikamnayo for criticizing his administration.
Reacting to the former Commissioner’s criticism over money spent on schools in the state , Otti blamed Eze Chikamnayo for not understanding numbers and how they work in accounting, adding that his government has fellows and accountants who contribute to the accountability and transparency of the administration.
“There is something called state S.F.A.S.
“It is a programme by world Bank which requires states to publish their budget performance. “Budget is an estimate.So these things are very simple. But at the end of the day, what is important is what is the cash that has been spent.
“What this government does is that before we hand over money to you, we must collect an advance payment guarantee.
“So at any point in time, if you are working for us, your money must be in our hands and not the other way around.
“So when someone goes to Town and says N54billion is missing, unfortunately for him he is talking to the wrong people.
“If you take a look at this government, at least 3 or 4 members of the Executive Council are fellows of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. So, if you want to take on this government, it should not come from numbers, particularly for a man who doesn’t understand numbers”.
The Governor made it clear to the former Commissioner that his government would not hire him nor call him for negotiations.
“So to Eze Chikamnayo, I have a message for him. This is a different government. And my response to his request that came at the beginning of this remained the same.
“The person he sent to me, he wants to be part of this government, I told him no. And the answer remains no.
“So, we have followed him. He has been part of every government since1999. In 2007, he started blackmailing the Governor at that time and they called him and gave him jobs.
“So if he likes, let him hang on the transformer.This government would not call him”.
The governor continued that Chikamnayo asked him to do a video. “I checked the records and I found out about 5 or 6 schools are being done in Umunneochi as we speak.
“He should come home and see them, If he is not afraid of coming home.
“I should not do a video. Why should I do a video and prove to him that I am working in his Local Government? No, he should come home and should not stay in Abuja .
“And if he comes, please someone should also tell him not to forget to also visit the University where he claimed he read law. I am also working there. And to the people that sent him,first of all they sent the wrong person”.
The governor revealed that he knows the person that sponsored the former Commissioner to hold press conference against his government, describing it as unfortunate that the sponsor hired a man without credibility to carry out the hatchet man’s job.
“A man without credibility, you don’t need to send him to go and talk about it. And in any case they may not have found a man with credibility to come and talk rubbish.
“Because people keep quiet,they think they can get away with anything. You blackmail him, they will call you for discussion. I will never call you (Chikamnayo) for negotiation, never. So, maybe you need to set up another structure”, Otti fumed
