By Larry Martians
Following the Onbuchi’s reactions on poultry business at the government house, the Enugu State Government has described as false and misleading the
claims by Deputy Governor of the State, Mr Sunday Onyebuchi that
Governor Sullivan Chime operates a poultry and piggery at the
Government House.
Chime who spoke through his Chukwudi Achife, the Chief Press Secretary Chukwudi Achife said the Deputy Governor’s claims were
malicious and intended to deceive the public.
According to him, that the Government maintains an Agric Unit as part
of the Government House structure where livestock are kept for
slaughter to serve the needs of the staff as well as both the governor
and deputy governor’s premises, the unit was neither operated nor
owned by the Governor.
Achife said: “Our attention has been drawn to media reports credited
to the Deputy Governor in which he alleged that Governor Chime owns a
poultry and a piggery inside the Government House.
“Much as we would not want to join issues with His Excellency, the
Deputy Governor (Onyebuchi), it has become necessary for us to put the
records straight.
“The Deputy Governor’s claims that Governor Chime runs a poultry in
the Government is most unfortunate and surprising. This is because it
is patently untrue and the Deputy Governor knows better.
“The truth is that there is an Agric Unit in the Government House
where livestock are held for the use of the Government House. It has
been in existence since the Government House was built and had served
previous administrations in Enugu. It is neither commercially
operated nor is it owned by the Governor.
“The unit is manned by civil servants including a veterinary doctor.
Funds for its maintenance are provided for in the annual budget of the
Government. The unit also serves the Deputy Governor. As a matter of
fact, staff of the unit slaughtered a cow from the unit at the request
of the Deputy Governor on August 4, 2014.
“So, if as the unit as he (Onyebuchi) erroneously claims belongs to
the Governor, why should it form part of the state’s annual budgets?
Why would the Deputy Governor request the unit to slaughter cows for
him from its livestock holding? ”
Achife said: “It is important to clarify that the said
Agric unit is not within the Governor’s residential premises but a
unit in Government House which has other units like the Press unit,
Drivers unit, among others.
The Agric unit serves the purpose ofholding livestock for periodic slaughter for use by Government House staff, the Governor’s lodge and the Deputy Governor’s lodge. It was on the strength of this fact that he (Onyebuchi) requested the staff of the unit to slaughter a cow for him from the unit’s holding on August
4, 2014, and this was done.
“Now, the other question to ask is, since the Deputy Governor is fully
aware of the existence of this unit and benefits from its services,
why was he operating another one? The truth, however, is that he was
operating a commercial poultry with his own staff, including as he
admitted in his evidence, a marketing manager.
“The poultry in his residential quarters was relocated after he
refused all official entreaties to do some, fully aware that running a
commercial poultry within his residential premises, clearly violated
an policy of government. So, why would the State’s Number Two citizen
violate a policy made by his own Government?”
In a swift reaction to Onyebuchi’s claims, he sad what transpired between the panel and counsel to the parties on the day he slumped, it will be recalled
that Mr. Nduka Ikeyi, Counsel to the Enugu State House of Assembly at
the panel investigating the allegations of gross misconduct against
the Deputy Governor, had clarified the events, contrary to reports sections of the media.
Addressing Journalists in Enugu, Mr. Ikeyi noted that some of the news
reports on the proceedings had been ” most inaccurate and full of
conjectures” adding that there also appears to be a deliberate effort
to exclude reportage of evidence considered damaging to the Deputy
Governor’s defence.
He also affirmed that none of the reports had so far reflected the
evidence given by witnesses to the House of Assembly, nor did they
reflect evidence elicited under cross-examination from the Deputy
Governor’s witnesses.
Ikeyi said it was completely untrue, as reported in some newspapers that the Panel continued proceedings after the Deputy Governor slumped on
Wednesday, while being led in evidence by his counsel, Mr. Peter Eze, stating that the Panel rose immediately the Deputy Governor was rushed out of the court room, and later invited counsel on both sides to discuss how to deal with the situation. It was then agreed that the Panel should resume by 2pm to receive a
report on the doctor’s evaluation of the Deputy Governor’s condition.
“When the Panel resumed sitting at 2pm, Chief Chris Aghanwa, lead
counsel to the Deputy Governor tendered a report, which showed that
the Deputy Governor had postural hypotension. Counsel to the Deputy
Governor however asked that the matter be adjourned to Monday 18
August. The Panel however preferred to deal with the matter one day
at a time; and directed the parties to return the following day
(Thursday) to receive further update on the state of health of the
Deputy Governor”.
“On Thursday (14 August), Counsel to the Deputy Governor reported
that he was not yet in a condition to continue his testimony and once
again applied for the matter to be adjourned to Monday, 18 August and
further stated that the Deputy Governor would be his last witness,
meaning that he would no longer require the evidence of the government
officials whom he had earlier caused to be summoned”
Mr. Ikeyi added that he responded that he did not object to the
application for adjournment, but requested that since the His
Excellency, the Deputy Governor was a public officer in the Enugu
State Government, that the Panel should obtain the opinion of a
specialist cardiologist from a medical facility operated by the State
Government.
He said that he did not, in any way, doubt the competence or
objectivity of Dr. Anusiuba, who had seen the Deputy Governor
immediately after the unfortunate incident, but added that Dr.
Anisuba, who works at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital
(UNTH), however saw the Deputy Governor as his private patient and
not as a patient of the UNTH.
Mr. Ikeyi said that the Panel which he noted, had continued to show
deep concern for the health of the Deputy Governor agreed with him
and directed that a cardiologist from the ESUT Teaching Hospital be
given access to evaluate the Deputy Governor and report back to the
Panel.
He wondered where the persons who claimed that the Panel rejected
medical advice and insisted that “the Deputy Governor be brought back
to the hearing immediately, even in a wheelchair or stretcher” got
their story from.
