Secret Reporters
The Eastern part of Nigeria is supposed to be probably one of the most developed regions in Nigeria in terms of infrastructures and basic social amenities especially because indigenes from the region are known to have a knack for entrepreneurship with seemingly special abilities to adapt and carve a niche from almost nothing and becoming business moguls.
This, however, is not the case as political actors from the region seem to have capitalized on the little or no interest of the people in politics to divert funds meant for the executions of their nominated constituency projects to their pockets leaving them either abandoned or not executed at all.
Information made available to SecretReporters reveals that Hon. Chukwuka Wilfred Onyema representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency and Okechukwu Eze who represented Anaocha/Njkoka/Dunukofia Federal Constituency of Anambra State in the 8th assembly nominated various projects to be executed in their various constituencies amounting to over N165,000,000 (One Hundred and Sixty Five Million Naira) have allegedly cornered these funds into their personal pockets and wittingly abandoned these projects to the detriment of their constituents.
It was gathered that in 2018, Hon. Chukwuka Onyema, who was the Deputy Minority Leader representing the Ogbaru Federal Constituency in the hilly region of Anambra State, nominated a project for the construction and rehabilitation of a road (with drainage) in Okpoko, Ogbaru LGA of Anambra State worth over N150,000,000 (One Hundred and Fifty Million Naira) with same awarded to the Advance Global Resources located at 30 Sabiu Ajose Street, Surulere, Lagos and owned by Pascal Uzo Ukwu .
However, more than a year since its commencement, the House member who is saddled with the responsibility of supervising and ensuring that the project is speedily executed and delivered to his constituents in connivance with the CEO of Advance Global Resources Pascal Uzo Ukwu abandoned the project after allegedly pocketing the funds meant for its completion.
Similarly, it was also gathered that in what seems like a competition between the duo to win a Grammy as the best looter of the century, Okechukwu Eze who represented Anaocha/Njikoka/Dunukofia Federal Constituency of Anambra State during the 8th assembly in 2018 also nominated a project for the renovation of a classroom block at Nnamdi Azikiwe Secondary School (NASSA) Abagana at a whooping N10,000,000 (Ten Million Naira) as well as a project for the completion of an ongoing construction of one number block of two-bedroom flat (semi-detached) doctors quarters at Enugwu Agidi Primary Health Centre at a jaw-dropping N5,000,000 (Five Million Naira).
Howbeit, Okechukwu Eze like his grammy competitor Chukwuka Onyema, having allegedly diverted the funds meant for the execution of the projects into his private pocket, wittingly abandoned them with only skeletal structures almost overgrown by weeds begging for attention to the detriment of his constituents.
The duo SecretReporters learned each time they were elected has been in the green chambers representing their pockets instead of the people culminating into numerous abandoned projects littered across the state.
This practice according to sources has become a norm for the duo as well as other lawmakers and senators in the state as they have taken full advantage of the seeming non-involvement of the people of the state in active politics.