Ikpeazu’s former Commissioner, Otti’s aide trade wards over contract costs

The Special Adviser on media and publicity to Governor Alex Otti, Ferdinand Ekeoma and the former commissioner for trade and investment in Okezie Ikpeazu administration, John Okiyi Kalu are back to media war.

Okiyi Kalu, who also served as a Commissioner for information under the immediate past administration in the State, recently used his social media handle to question the cost of some road construction contracts awarded by the administration of Governor Otti.

Kalu further called for the publication of funds coming into the State from the federal allocations in the newspapers, which according to him, would tally with Governor Otti’s pre-election campaigns.

But reacting to the demands, the Special Adviser on media and publicity to Governor Otti, Mr Ferdinand Ekeoma, said that the present government does not need any media propaganda to tell Abia residents its achievements.

Ekeoma, who faulted Kalu’s claims that the former government he served was transparent in its financial dealings, alleged that Ohafia LGA where Okiyi Kalu hails from, allegedly received over 18 billion naira as allocation from the federation account during the eight years of the former administration.

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Ekeoma’s response read in part:

“One of the grounds for John Okiyi Kalu’s infantile attacks on Governor Otti was that his government doesn’t come on air and social media to announce and publish the amount of money received as monthly allocation.

“Let me remind him that monthly allocation is statutory and is published by the Federal Government which shows what every State receives. So which other publication is he talking about?

“What Abians expect from the State government is to use what is due to the State to work for Abians and not to dramatize on social media and on the pages of newspapers in the name of publications, since we didn’t see the economic and developmental impacts of such fake and deceitful publications since 1999”, he said.

The media aide explained the State government was under obligation to publish budget implementations of various MDAS through the appropriate channels in line with extant laws and rules.