The Chairman, Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA), Hon. Uche Anya, has denied an online report claiming that he was grilled and detained for a day over an alleged N417 million fraud at the agency linked to him.
Anya explained that his agency is a task-based agency, not a contract-awarding institution.
He noted that although he was aware of a “frivolous petition,” which he understood was authored against him to the ICPC by “one disgruntled town planner, Alex Ogbodo” for his refusal to appoint him the Head of Development Control, he only paid a friendly courtesy call on the new Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner in the State and used the opportunity to explain the background to the ECTDA letter investigating the approval status of over 500 properties, which also includes the anti graft agency’s office at Plot JQ/4 Bisala Road, Independence Layout, Enugu.
“I paid a courtesy call on the new Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner, and in the course of the visit, the animosity over their property came up. I went with a friend, Hon. Augustine Nnamani, around 11am and left after about two hours of friendly conversations. I went to reassure the ICPC that we wanted to be sure that every property is in line with our masterplan and that the letter demanding for the necessary documents regarding the approval status of their office was a generic one that was sent to over 500 other properties.
“On the frivolous petition by one disgruntled town planner, Alex Ogbodo, there was absolutely nothing to it. It is not only false, but wicked, malicious, and unfounded. To start with, our agency is a task-based agency. We do not award contracts. My job entails enforcing the masterplan of Enugu, not to award any contracts,” he stated.
He also said that he used the opportunity of his visit to reassure the new Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner of the commitment of the state administration to transparency and traceability and total war against corruption.
“I further advised that they can always have any government functionary or documents necessary for their statutory function by simply routing such invitations and requests through the Office of the Secretary to the State Government, who is in a position to authorise such on behalf of the governor.
“So, I do not know where all the fake reports about my alleged detention over a so-called embezzlement are coming from,” he added.
He said that the said Ogbodo’s fretting over his appointment of Arc. Emike Ikechukwu as Head of the Project and Physical Development Control Unit at ECTDA would not change anything as he would still not appoint him in the latter’s stead even in his dream.
“He is disgruntled because he was not made Head of Development Control, hence the story in the report that I appointed Ikechukwu instead. Just to put the record straight, Arc. Ikechukwu holds a Master’s Degree and was seconded from the Ministry of Works to ECTDA under Engr. Ikechukwu Ugwuegede over 10 years ago.
“Ogbodo, on the other hand, has so many disciplinary issues. In fact, my predecessor, Josef Onoh, sent him back to the Ministry of Lands and Urban Development in the last administration, but he was rejected by the then Commissioner, Barr. Chidi Aroh.
“That was why he kept filing petitions against Onoh even as a civil servant, and I am not surprised by his antics. It is true to type. But it won’t change anything. The bottom line is that there was no fraud whatsoever and, of course, nothing like detention. It only exists in his mind and the imagination of his co-conspirators,” Anya concluded.