Okorocha appoints wife chairperson Amnesty committee

Okorocha appoints wife chairperson Amnesty committee 

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, at weekend, appointed his wife, Nkechi, to chair the state’s Amnesty committee.

The governor also inaugurated two other committees including the committee on the Review of the Activities and Infrastructural Development of state owned Higher Institutions, and the Technical committee for the take-off of the Eastern Palm University, Ogboko.

In the terms of reference to the Amnesty Committee, the governor charged them to come up with programmes and ideas that would ensure the sustenance of the peace in the oil producing areas of Ohaji/Egbema and Oguta area councils.

He urged the committee to address all the issues the ex-militants had raised when they surrendered their arms to the state government stressing that, it was discovered that the oil companies operating in the areas have been igniting some of the probllems for their own selfish reasons.

According to him, It was discovered from the testimonies of the ex-militants that some of the traditional rulers from the areas are culpable in the crisis that enveloped the oil producing areas to their advantage.

He therefore cancelled all the memorandum of understanding (MoU) the communities or traditional rulers must have entered into with the oil companies directing that the government must be aware of any such MoU in future.

He charged the Committee work towards ensuring that the names of the militants who surrendered their guns and embraced peace are removed from any record or list of militants, organize medical tours in the oil producing areas and ensure special employment of one thousand Ohaji/Egbema and Oguta Youths into the State Civil Service.and it has three months to submit its report.

The Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Acho Ihim is the chairman of the committee on the Review of the Activities and Infrastructural Development on state owned Higher Institutions, with fifteen other members. And the committee has been asked to review the movement of certain faculties and departments of the Imo State University to Aboh Mbaise/Ngor Okpala campus of the University.

The committee was charged to reconsider the location of the Imo State University Teaching Hospital (IMSUTH) and its viability in Orlu and the location of the main campus of the University in the State Capital, with the committee expected to find out whether IMSUTH won’t be more useful to the people if located in Owerri.

The Committee was also charged to revie whether it is not more advisable to remove the main campus of IMSU to a more serene location suitable for university education and where it has the opportunity of expanding in future. The committee has three weeks to submit its report.

The Technical Committee for the Take-off of the Eastern Palm University at Ogboko built through Public and Private Partnership (PPP) has Ambassador Nonye Rajis Opara as chairman and the committee has six other members.

The work of the committee is to ensure the smooth take-off of the university.

Other members include the Transition Committee Chairmen of Ohaji/Egbema and Oguta local government councils, Managing Director of Imo state Oil Producing Areas Development Commission and Special Assistant to the governor.

Source -todayng