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From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki
A former member of the House of Representatives in Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo Federal Constituency, Ebonyi State, Chief Darlington Okereke, has accused the Coordinator of Ohaozara East Development Centre, Mrs Favour Uloma Okorie, of allegedly distributing federal government-provided skill acquisition equipment as personal empowerment materials.
Okereke made the allegation at a press briefing in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi state capital, and alleged that the equipment was attracted during his tenure in the House of Representatives to create opportunities for skills acquisition and economic empowerment for the people of the Development Centre.
He said the items include manual sewing machines, electric sewing machines, weaving machines, dryers, hand dryers, head washers, furniture-making machines, and other equipment.
He said the equipment was supplied by the federal government in 2010 for the equipping of the Ngbom/Ugwulangwu Skill Acquisition Centre, but arrived while the building was still under construction.
“I wish to put on record that the items shared as empowerment materials by the coordinator of Ohaozara Development Center are not the property of the development centre, but skill acquisition materials supplied by the federal government for the equipping of Ngbom/Ugwulangwu Skill Acquisition Centre in 2010.
“This was attracted when I was in the House of Representatives. The materials arrived while the building was still under construction. It was warehoused in the development centre under the leadership of the Honourable Tony Nwafor.
“It is, therefore, surprising that instead of returning the items to the completed skill acquisition centre, where they would benefit the general number of people, the coordinator made the surprising decision to distribute federal government property, which was designated for a specific project, to her friends.
“The coordinator should return those items from those she shared them with, so that the skill acquisition centre will take off,” he said.
Okereke, a former Federal Commissioner of National Population Commission (NPC), declared that the Development Centre should provide its own empowerment materials from its resources rather than distributing equipment he said was procured for a specific federal government-funded skill acquisition project.
He called on relevant security agencies to intervene, investigate the matter, and recover the equipment for the benefit of the people for whom the project was established.
“Ordinarily, I would have put them in my house. But I felt it was not the right thing to do. As a lawmaker, I decided to warehouse these items in the development centre. One, for security purposes. Two, for government property.
“It is not my own property, and the development centre coordinator is surprising because I had told them that what they needed to do was put burglary proof on the building, so that these items would be well secured, totally, and paint it because the contractor didn’t finish both painting to secure these things and install the equipment for our people.
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“It’s for the generality of people to use to learn skills, to learn trade, some people who want to go into tailoring, hairdressing, and all those should go there and learn this trade, and it will help a good number of people from Ugwulangwu. It is not meant for anybody to distribute, not at all. If it was meant for people to distribute, I would have distributed them long ago”, Okereke further said.
He described the alleged distribution of the equipment as a misappropriation of government property and questioned the decision to keep some of the industrial machines in the coordinator’s personal residence. He said such items should only be distributed if they were legitimately procured for that purpose.
But, the Coordinator, Ohaozara East Development Centre, Mrs Favour Okorie, dismissed the allegations that empowerment materials meant for the centre were distributed without the knowledge and consent of community stakeholders.
Okorie said the distribution was conducted openly in the presence of traditional rulers, village heads, youth and women leaders, as well as other stakeholders in the area.
She said: “Firstly, on July 28, I called for a stakeholders’ meeting, where all the traditional rulers, village heads, women, and youth leaders were invited before the distribution. Chief Darlington Okereke himself was also invited.
“Remember that the said materials had been parked for about 20 years, and about five other persons had served as coordinators before I assumed office in 2024. I am telling you all these because all the processes were duly followed. The entire traditional leadership structure, including His Royal Highness, Eze Frank Agueze of Ugwulangwu, Eze Iyioku, who was represented by his cabinets, were present during the distribution.
“Mr Ernest Okorie, popularly known as AK-Black, who is the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Francis Nwifuru on Road Maintenance, Ebonyi South, and a former coordinator of the centre, was also present. The youth leader of Ohanivo, Chimebere George Nwoye, and other political stakeholders were also present.”
Okorie further said she personally contacted Okereke and others ahead of the distribution, but that they failed to respond to her calls and messages.
“In fact, before the distribution, I personally sent messages and made calls to Darlington Okereke and others, but they ignored the messages and calls because of their gang-up against me,” she alleged.
She maintained that the exercise was not carried out secretly, adding that she personally procured 16 additional motorcycles as part of her empowerment support to beneficiaries.
Speaking on her achievements since assuming office, Okorie said her administration had implemented several initiatives aimed at improving the welfare of residents of the development centre. She said more than 100 indigent students had benefited from free registration for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) examinations under her administration.
She said her administration also improved rural electrification projects in the area and constructed two mini-bridges to enhance movement within the communities. She added that the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centre was renovated, while mowing machines were procured to support environmental maintenance and other community development activities.
Okorie said the interventions were part of her efforts to improve the living conditions of residents and promote development across the Ohaozara East Development Centre.
