-Denies Operating private account
The Chairman of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of Imo Transport Company (ITC) Owerri, Chief Emeka Aririguzo, has said that his prime motive and ambition is to resuscitate the ailing Imo Transport Company which had already collapsed during the eight year tenure of Rochas Okorocha, under the management of Mr Laz Okoroafor Anyanwu, and to render services to the people and as a revenue earner to the coffers of Imo State, as part of the Rebuild Imo Agenda. He stated that, he has no ambition to acquire concessional status of the company.
Speaking to newsmen in Owerri yesterday, Mr Aririguzo disclosed that upon assumption of office, his committee inherited 33 operational buses all without air conditioner, while the company’s workers were receiving only 15 percent of their monthly,others were redundant or sacked, by the rescue mission administration through or by way of concessions.
He stated also that since assumption, the company has been paying full salary to workers and the management is reviewing the cases of those who were either sacked or displaced with a view to re-instating them for effective and optimal performance.
The Chairman also said that they discovered that the company under governor Okorocha had obtained loans to acquire 276 vehicles and the way and manner in which the loan or vehicles were managed are still a mirage and subject to investigation.
He stated that when his team came on board, the company’s fleet was operating on only 26 routes which they have made efforts to increase by re-opening their shutdown bays in other states and Ghana, which had taken him on a working trip to Ghana recently with plans to re-open their route there, whereas plans have been made to re-acquire or repossess some of the lost property.
He disclosed that they have recovered the property in Lagos, revealing that it was for non-payment of rents that the company previously lost its loading bay at Mission Hill in Umuahia, Abia State, which forced them to relocate to Abia Towers but today the company has off-set the indebtedness and has resumed operations at Mission Hill Umuahia, loading bay opposite Umuahia main motor park.
On the issue of Treasury Single Account (TSA), Mr Aririguzo revealed that the company did not open any private account, rather they had applied for a waiver from government which was granted to enable the company operate effectively, while “operating a separate accounts for the sake of those operating on franchise, who may not be patient to wait on government bureaucracy. The arrangement was for the company to pay the revenue derived from the franchise and proceeds of government owned vehicles into the public accounts”, he stated.
He reiterated that he has not dreamt or planned for the company to be concessioned to anybody, let alone himself and stated that his dream for ITC is to return the company to it’s past glory when it was an envy to all.
