By Valentine Amanze, Online Editor
The Imo State government has deferred the resumption of schools because of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) testing programme in the 27 local government areas of the state.
It said that the schools would only resume after the exercise.
In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary/ Adviser to the governor on Media, Mr. Oguwike Nwachuku, the state government also banned all task forces /consultants, while stopping the sale of emblems in the state.
Consequently, it stated that the government was constituting a security outfit that would go after recalcitrant persons in the state.
Rising from the Wednesday, September 23, 2020 Executive Council Meeting presided over by Governor Hope Uzodimma, the government explained that task forces had been constituting a nuisance to the government and people of the state.
“There is nothing like Owerri Capital Development Authority (OCDA) Task Force, Emblem Collection Task Force, and Revenue Task Forces on the Street of Owerri Municipal anymore,” the Commissioner for Information, Declan Emelumba, who was joined by the Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Rex Anunobi; Commissioner for Finance, Chuck Chuckemeka; Chief Press Secretary/Media Adviser to the Governor, Oguwike Nwachuku and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Internal Revenue, Lawrence Chukwuemeka Nwodu said.
Emelumba said that the Exco resolved that there was no more consultancy of any sort involving Ministry, Department and Agency (MDA), and that all MDAs were directed to submit their revenue heads to the Board of Internal Revenue (BIR).
According to him, “This means that only BIR is authorized to collect revenue for Imo State government henceforth.
“To ensure full compliance with regard to the ban on the task forces, the government said it has concluded arrangement to constitute security monitoring and enforcement team to ensure that all concerned comply with the above directives.”
Emelumba further disclosed that the Executive Council has received report on the Community testing for COVID-19 in six local government areas of the state and discovered that out of over 1,000 tested only 24 were found to be positive.
He pointed out that Imo was one of the nine states in Nigeria that have embarked on the Community Testing for COVID-19.
The consequence of the ongoing Community Testing Programme in Imo State, he said, would reflect on the planned resumption of schools as that had been delayed for a while to enable the testing go round in all the councils in the state.
The commissioner revealed that because of the prudent management of resources in Imo State by the current administration, the state has qualified to benefit from the State Fiscal Transparency and Accountability Sustenance (SFTAS) which guarantees it a of $20 million for 2020.
He said that because of the inability of the state to meet up with the criteria set by the World Bank Imo was not able to receive the disbursement for 2018 and 2019.
He also disclosed that Imo State government has concluded plans to establish brand new model primary schools in the 305 Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) wards of the state.
According to him, the schools when established will be equipped with modern facilities such as ICT centre, E-Library, Primary Healthcare Centres, 24 hours power supply, modern sporting facilities and other facilities that will make them comparable to any of their type in any part of the world.
He further disclosed that the state Ministry of Gender and Vulnerable Groups had been changed to Ministry of Women Affairs to reflect what is obtainable at the Federal Government level and many other states of the federation.
On the issue of ban on consultancy and revenue collection by MDAs, Chukwuemeka added that the decision was as a result of revenue leakages that have contributed in no small measure to dwindling Internally Generated Revenue of the state.