…Demands Iwu’s sack as SSG
From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
The former Vice Chancellor of Imo State University, Prof Ukachukwu Awuzie, has called for a new holistic Charter of Equity which he said will bring social justice and fairness to all zones, local government areas, wards, federal and state constituencies in the state.
He also called for the removal of Chief Cosmas Iwu who is from Ehime-Mbano council in Okigwe zone as the Secretary to the State Government, saying that the position rightly belongs to the Orlu zone, describing it as a deviation from the extant practice.
Prof Awuzie noted that the current Charter of Equity as advanced by Imo Council of Elders has no inbuilt implementation or enforcement framework and that it also did not state clearly which zone comes first, as its contents are never subjected to any public debate, discussions or hearings.
Awuzie who was a former National Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) made the call at a press conference on Saturday in Owerri, the Imo state capital. He maintained that the current version of Imo Charter of Equity needs to be given content and made all encompassing to guarantee justice and fairness to the populace of the three zones.
Said He: “The current (Imo) Charter of Equity appears to be a single item programme that (ensures) the rotation of the governorship position amongst the three geopolitical zones. It is silent on salient points such as the current state of infrastructure stock and other globally-accepted developmental indices amongst the zones and fairness and justice in the distribution of infrastructure and growth in zones otherwise lagging on these indices.”
Continuing he said: “Again the current Charter of Equity as advanced by Imo Council of Elders has no inbuilt implementation or enforcement framework. It did not state clearly how and which zones comes first in the rotational sequence being proposed. This is why arguments and counter arguments on whether it should be Okigwe or Owerri zone. While the directive and support of his Excellency Hope Uzodimma remains critical to electoral success in the current era, many variables may arise before the next electoral cycle which may affect his ability to nominate and install the next governor of the state.”
He added that “it (is) clear that for Imolites to buy into the Charter of Equity as advanced by Imo Council of Elders and, for the charter to bring social justice and fairness to all zones, local government councils and wards, federal and state constituencies, more work needs to be done to strengthen it, particularly in terms of content, implementation and enforcement facets.
“The situation of Isu clan in the scheme, makes it mandatory that a team of patriotic, knowledgeable and understanding Imolites be assembled to fashion out a new holistic Charter of Equity that guarantees in words, letter and content, equity to all sections of Imo state.”
Prof Awazie called on Governor Hope Uzodinma to rectify the anomaly in appointing Chief Cosmas Iwu who is from Ehime-Mbano council in Okigwe zone as the Secretary to the State Government.
“Starting from Dr Sam Mbakwe’s era, Secretaries to Government, until Governor Rochas Okorocha’s era, had come solely from the governor’s zone. However, during Okorocha’s tenure in office, he distributed this to the three geopolitical zones. This appeared like a deviation from the norm. As means of returning to this norm, His Excellency Hope Uzodimma is urged to rectify the situation by appointing the Secretary to the Government of Imo State from Orlu zone, preferably from Isu clan to give them a sense of belonging.”