By Wisdom Nwedene, Abakaliki
Former Secretary to Ebonyi State Government, Professor Bernard Odoh, has written to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to properly investigate the misappropriation of two billion naira Agric Loan.
In the letter seen by 9news Nigeria, addressed to the Chairman of the Commission, Ibrahim Magu, Prof. Odoh said the Ebonyi State Government Panel of Inquiry on the missing 2BN CBN Agric Loan is a composition of government’s appointees and governor’s loyalists.
Prof. Odoh further said that he doesn’t expect justice from the panel hence, EFCC has his invitation to investigate all of them who served on the Ebonyi State Government Rice Project Management Team.
According to him, “I stand ready to be investigated. However, the Ebonyi State Government Panel of Inquiry on the missing 2BN CBN Agric Loan is a composition of government’s appointees and governor’s loyalists.”
“I don’t expect justice from the panel hence, EFCC has my invitation to investigate all of us who served on the Ebonyi State Government Rice Project Management Team.”
9news Nigeria recalls that Governor and Prof. Benard Odoh have been engaging in a verbal war over the disbursement of the Central Bank of Nigeria N2bn agric loan secured for farmers by the government in 2016.
Umahi had during a statewide broadcast at the new Governor’s Lodge, Centenary City, Abakaliki, said, “One of the critics in Ebonyi State, who was holding a very high position, supervised the N2bn and he used ‘ghost’ workers to supervise the N2bn. It’s not recovered. He didn’t even give it to his people, but he claims that he loves his people.”
“At the state council executive meeting this week, we are going to set up a Commission of Inquiry to look at those wickedness dished out to our people. So, I want to assure our people that we are doing everything humanly possible to fight poverty.”
But in a statement he personally signed and made available to 9News Nigeria, Odoh said it was either that Umahi was suffering from whimsical amnesia or he had forgotten his unchallenged and factual reply to a query on the matter, since May 2018.
