A former government official in Abia State, Chief John Okiyi Kalu and former chief press secretary to the immediate past governor, Sir Onyebuchi Ememanka have cautioned Governor Alex Otti on blaming his predecessor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, for his governance blunders since he assumed office.
Okiyi-Kalu, a former commissioner for information in Ikpeazu’s administration urged governor Otti to take total responsibility for his shortcomings and leave the ex-governor alone.
He said Otti is using Ikpeazu’s name to justify his “incompetence and maltreatment” of Abia youths who he recently sacked from the state civil service.
The former commissioner who responded to questions from newsmen on a recent statement credited to the incumbent commissioner for information, Okey Kanu, who accused Ikpeazu of employing ghost workers and backdating their employment letters, said it was laughable that after 100 days in office, Otti’s government does not know that a governor does not sign appointment letters and the use of BVN has totally eliminated ghost workers from Abia payroll system.
He said, “Obviously the Otti administration is constituted by men and women with zero public sector management experience but after 100 days in office, one should expect that they have learned enough to know that a governor does not sign appointment letters.
“Under Ikpeazu, we had a duly constituted civil service commission whose job is to screen and recruit workers after waivers have been issued. It appears to me that Otti is no longer making use of this commission because he has employed workers at various levels, including his new accountant-general and they should all have passed through that commission without Otti signing their appointment letter himself.
