By Onwukwe Ezreu, Abia
The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) has lauded the Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, for judiciously managing the N14 billion bailout fund, which the Federal Government released to the state last year.
The ICPC said that Ikpeazu’s sincerity of purpose in managing the fund confirms the credibility and transparency of governance in Abia State. The ICPC last week published the names of 23 states and their disbursement pattern of the bailout fund and singled Abia State and two other states as good models in the disbursement and management of the fund.
Besides, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Godwin Adindu, explained that the endorsement by the ICPC was a vindication to Governor Ikpeazu on the discretion he exercised in the handling of the Fund. According to him, the commendation from the ICPC will not come to Abians as a surprise as the governor, realizing that the N14 billion was a far cry from the N39 billion demanded by the state as outstanding salaries, pension and gratuities of the entire civil servants in the state, including local government workers quickly determined that the money will not be diverted to other uses but for the purpose it was meant to serve. He further disclosed that to achieve that aim, the governor adopted a very unique approach by setting up an independent committee headed by the leadership of the labour unions in the state with a mandate that the fund must be deployed for its purpose and that was the settlement of arrears of salaries, pensions and gratuities of workers.
Adindu described the governor as a servant leader who has come to serve Abians selflessly and will continue to bring honour to the state.