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Geoffrey Anyanwu, Enugu
Irked by legion of reports and petitions bordering on extortion and harassment, against three urban local governments, Enugu North, Enugu South and Enugu East, the Enugu State House of Assembly, yesterday, set up a Special Committee to investigate the councils.
Also to be quizzed by the House for the same offences are the Enugu State Waste Management Authority, (ESWAMA), the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Commissioner for Transport and Chairman, Enugu Capital Territory.
The five-man ad hoc committee of the House has Hon. Chinedu Nwamba, representing Nsukka East Constituency as Chairman; Deputy Whip of the House, Ethel Ugwuanyi; Hon. Jeff Mba, Paul Nnajiofor and Amaka Ugwueze as members.
The persons and institutions concerned according to the House would explain to the House why they were embarking on arbitrary revenue drive and to ascertain which law that empowered them to do so.
Setting up the committee yesterday during the sitting of the House, the Speaker, Hon. Edward Ubosi mandated it to look into the complaints of the masses and summon the aforementioned to come answer for themselves and their establishments.
Ubosi who raised the issue said, “Reports have been coming to my office on how taskforces are being used to extort money from the public. Our constituents have been complaining bitterly, especially those local governments in urban, Enugu East, Enugu North and Enugu South. They have many committees, for example in my own Enugu East they have taskforce on Due Process, taskforce on human resources, they have many taskforces.
“The same in other local governments, Youth empowerment, Elders Right, you can see different collection and at the end, ESWAMA will come, local government will come, Town Planning will come, Capital Territory will come, in one building.
“We have to invite them, let us know what they are generating, what they are using the money for and where they derived the power for those revenue, we want to know.”
Ubosi noted that though the state was not all that buoyant it would not be a reason for anyone to make people live in fear or extort them anyhow.
