Enugu State House of Assembly has set up a seven-man committee to probe reports of alleged diversion of internally generated revenue (IGR) in the state between 2008 and June 2016.
Sullivan Chime was the governor of Enugu State for most of the concerned period – May 2007 to May 2015.
The period equally coincided with parts of the tenure of the former chairman of Enugu State Board of Internal Revenue, Mr. Felix Chime.
There are insinuations that the probe was targeted at Chime’s administration.
However, the Enugu State House of Assembly said the decision to probe alleged diversion of internally generated revenue in the state followed petitions from ‘members of the public’.
The member representing Enugu South Urban Constituency, Barrister Obinna Okenwa, who moved a motion on the floor of the House, said there were several petitions alleging that principal officers of the Board of Internal Revenue and other top government officials diverted the state’s resources into private pockets during the period under review.
Okenwa lamented that the alleged diversion had worsened the economy of the state, which was already in a dismal condition as a result of the decline in oil revenue.
The lawmaker prayed the House to investigate, as a matter of urgency, the activities of the Board of Internal Revenue between 2008 and June 2016.
To ascertain the veracity of the alleged sleaze, the Speaker, Hon. Uchenna Ubosi, set up a committee, headed by the member representing Awgu North, Sunday Ude-Okoye, to investigate the matter and report back to the House within 30 days.
Other members of the committee are Philip Nnamani, Christian Nwamba, Obinna Okenwa, Nkechi Omeje-Ogbu, Ezenta Ezeani and John Ukuta.
The probe is to be conducted in order to recover any stolen money, the Speaker stressed.
