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Imo Assembly Okays Councils' Sack
By Chidi Nkwopara
OWERRI—Imo State House of Assembly, in a surprise move, yesterday, unanimously adopted a motion, urging Governor Ikedi Ohakim to immediately sack the transition committees of the 27 local government areas of the state.
The lawmakers, who suspended their vacation to attend the Assembly's special sitting, also urged the executive to use its sledge hammer on the Local Government Service Commission, Imo State Independent Electoral Commission and Civil Service Commission.
The House noted that ISIEC has outlived its usefulness, adding that there was the need to inject fresh mind and hands, who will be charged and constitutionally empowered to organise, undertake and supervise all elections at the local council level in the state.
They explained that their action was in their sincere bid to sanitize governance in the state, as well as make government agencies and commissions result oriented.
Adducing reasons for the sacking of the Civil Service Commission, CSC, the chief sponsor, Nze Ray Emeana, said the establishment was bedeviled with indiscipline and had become chaotic as a result of the Commission's inability to control and regulate its staff.
"Governor Ohakim's promise to provide 10,000 graduate jobs in the civil service in the first quarter of this year demands that the present chairman and members of CSC be removed and replaced with viable persons," Emeana said.
On why the transition committees must go, Chief Simeon Iwunze, representing Isiala Mbano, alleged improper conduct, stressing that the operators of the local councils were no longer useful in the system.
"The excesses of the council chairmen prompted the call for the removal of the transition committees, as well as the removal of the chairman and members of the Local Government Service Commission for their inefficiency and inability to control the councils," Iwunze said.
It was his opinion that there was no need to improve the local councils without addressing the pitfalls in the Local Government Service Commission.
Source: Vanguard, 2nd Feb 2010.
Imo Begins Lands Recertification
From Charles Ogugbuaja, Owerri
THE Imo State Government at the weekend threatened to revoke any land in the state if its owner fails to recertify it before June 30.
Briefing journalists in Owerri, the state Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Urban Planning, Levi Oguike, said the programme handled by the Imo Geographic Information Service (IGIS) would charge any land owner who already has his or her Certificate of Occupation (C of O) N20,000, adding that it would take between 15 and 20 minutes to electronically process it in a "digital database and electronic lands and deeds registry."
He said: "All title documents not recertified before or by the 30th June 2010, shall cease to be valid for land transactions in the state and by implication shall become of no value as an instrument for land transactions. Special windows shall be created for banks to re-certify land instruments in their possession and pay the necessary fees."
Bank PHB, he said, has been empowered by the state government to handle the transaction.
On why the fee was pegged at N20,000, he said much was expended by the state government to purchase the equipment and others.
Source: The Guardian, 14th January 2010.
Imo Students to Present Tax Certificates for Admission
From Charles Ogugbuaja, Owerri
IMO State government has directed that all students returning to school this year must present their parents/guardians' electronic tax clearance certificate (ETCC) before they are allowed to register and participate in studies, Special Adviser to Governor Ikedi Ohakim on Revenue Generation, Mobilisation and Accounts Monitoring, Kirian Onwuzurike, has disclosed.
Briefing journalists in Owerri, the state capital, at the weekend on the state of revenue and achievements of his department, Onwuzurike said the measure was put in place to ensure that every taxable adult in the state lived up to his or her civic responsibility.
He added that all returning students must present the evidence of tax payment by their parents to school authorities before they would be allowed to study.
"It is our obligation. It is our responsibility", he said.
He disclosed that the state government was targeting N17 billion monthly revenue from the current over N430 million.
On the relationship between the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) officials on the remittance of N300 million owed the state, which culminated in the forced closure of the branch at the stance of the state government's directive, Onwuzuruike said the CBN official had paid N40 million out of the outstanding sum to the state government.
On efforts of the local councils in the state to collect revenue, he urged the officials to only collect according to the specifications of the state government and provisions of the law.
Source: The Guardian, 14th January 2010.
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