Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has again vowed to wield the big hammer without any notice on Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the state government whose personnel allegedly engage in extorting members of the public, as well as abuse the collection of government revenue.
Uzodimma noted that reports from government MDAs over continued harassment of hapless members of the public, particularly petty traders, have continued to question the integrity of those entrusted with the responsibility of managing the so-called MDAs.
The governor who spoke in a statement issued yesterday by his Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser, Mr Oguwike Nwachuku, said that the warning was against the backdrop of a trending voice message on social media, alleging extortion of petty traders operating with umbrella shades in Owerri by those believed to be agencies of government.
While the officials of the Owerri Capital Development Authority (OCDA) were linked to the voice message, the management of the body has distanced themselves from the allegation, insisting that their mandate does not include collection of fees on the streets.
A message from the General Manager of OCDA, Franklin Nkem Nzewodo did not only frown at the trending voice mail, but saw it as an orchestrated ploy to undermine his office and good job they are doing.
Nzewodo said: “The management of Owerri Capital Development Authority (OCDA) has frowned at insinuations from interested parties who go about creating the impression that the body collects money from vendors on the streets of Owerri.
“Contrary to such insinuations by callous blackmailers who would deploy any tool to undermine the good work the OCDA is doing in Imo State currently, the management notes that our job specification is not ambiguous for the personnel to comprehend.”
He said that “it is essential to clarify that OCDA does not engage in the collection of fees from roadside vendors who display their wares under umbrella or any other form of roadside vendors.
“The mandate of OCDA revolves around urban development and enhancement. The voice note’s claim linking OCDA to an operation is a misinterpretation of the events, and attributing the actions of workers of other agencies to OCDA’s officials is entirely misleading.”
This notwithstanding, Governor Uzodimma insisted that the harmonised mode of revenue collection in Imo State (Treasury Single Account-TSA) under the watch of the Imo State Internal Revenue Service (IIRS) was still in force, saying that any MDA doing the contrary “would be poking its hands in the eyes of the government.”
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