World Bank loan: ‘You will be punished if your alarm is false,’ Abia replies lawmaker for claiming threat to life

[From BONIFACE OKORO, Umuahia]

Abia Government has called on security agencies to launch a full-scale investigation into the claim by a member of State House of Assembly representing Aba South State Constituency, Hon. Obinna Ichita, over claims that his life has come under serious threat.

 Commissioner for Information, Chief Okiyi Kalu who made the call in a statement he released in Umuahia, insisted that findings f such investigations must be made public and those found culpable punished according to the law.

On Wednesday, July 28, 2021, Ichita raised the alarm that his life was being threatened because he demanded accountability of the N27 billion World Bank facility to Abia Government for flood control and construction of major roads in Aba South.

Ichita said that the money has been paid in full to the state government. He added that those after him want to hide under the security situation in the South East to perpetrate the heinous crime for the incident to be blamed on unknown gunmen.

According to Ichita, He has reported the alleged threat to several security agencies, both local and foreign.  

In a swift reaction, Abia government also called on “relevant security agencies in the state to thoroughly investigate the purported petition by the Lawmaker,” stressing that Ichita should be punished if found to have raised false alarm.

The petition reads in part: “Our attention has been drawn to a circulating publication by the member representing Aba South State Constituency at the Abia State House of Assembly, Mr Obinna Ichita, wherein he alleged, among other things, that some unnamed individuals are seriously threatening his life over his political activities within the state and we wish to unequivocally condemn such threat, if at all it exists beyond the imagination of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) Legislator.

 “It is a well known fact that under the watch of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, premium has been placed on freedom of expression for all citizens of the State as well as protection of their lives and property.

“The administration has never been and will never be associated with political killings or harassment of citizens based on their opinions and political views even when such views are sometimes considered too toxic and beyond the threshold of globally acceptable standard of freedom of expression.

“Mindful of the fact that desperate politicians seeking future political redemption for non-performance in office are also capable of crying wolf even where there is none, we wish to insist that the grave allegations be expeditiously investigated in its entirety and those found culpable brought to justice.  

“However, if on the other hand there is no substance to the allegation, we also will insist that appropriate sanctions be applied to deter those who may wish to needlessly overheat the polity by raising false alarms.”

On Ichita’s claim that the N27 billion World Bank project fund has been released to the state in full, Okiyi accused the lawmaker of being ignorant of the application of World Bank funds and went ahead to explain how such funds are released.

“It is desperately malicious and/or a hallmark of ignorance for a state legislator to claim that a World Bank project fund of N27.4b has been ‘paid in full by the World Bank to the state government’ and insinuate possibility of misappropriation whereas the practice is for such funds to be held in a project account supervised by the Bank with contractors payments released to them on the basis of agreed milestones and “no objection certificate” from the World Bank itself.

“It is elementary for a state legislator to know that the state government cannot pay out ONE KOBO from that account, even if it wishes to, without approval and concurrence by the World Bank which must have also certified work done as we do not have direct access to the fund,”Okiyi said.

He said for Ichita to make “maliciously false insinuations regarding the project without educating himself properly on it can only be attributed to lack of attention to details, dereliction of duties, unsuitability for office and mischief.”

The Commissioner recalled that Ichita’s political party, APGA, previously petitioned sundry federal agencies in the country, including Ministry of Finance, to stop the World Bank from funding the projects for the people of Aba South in particular, and Abia State in general.  

He reiterated the stand of the state government that anyone found culpable of misappropriating public funds should be brought to justice.