– How Commissioner, Uche Ohia Threatened To Deal With Bill Board Owner
It has been revealed that, while the Imo State government imposed the outrageous sum of #543 million on candidates of other political parties for the election of campaign bill boards in any part of the state, the governor’s aides and appointees are forcefully appropriating bill boards erected by other people to advertise and campaign for Governor Hope Uzodinma, without paying to the owners.
One of the victims, who spoke to our reporter, said that, he woke up one day to see that the bill board which he paid for and erected after securing approval from the relevant agencies of the State government, is now being used to advertise and campaign for the Governor.
“When I got in touch with the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism who forcefully took over the bill board without informing him, he agreed to pay me the sum of #400,000 which is quite insignificant, considering how much spent. However, when I called him again for discussion, he started shouting and threatening me, saying that, if I don’t take time, he will pull down the bill board and nothing will happen.
“He further said that I should be happy that the billboard I erected for a different purpose is being used to campaign for the Governor, and that if I dare call him again, he will mandate his boys to locate and deal with me ruthlessly”.
“When I tried to appeal to his conscience by telling him the rigorous process I went through and how much I eventually paid to secure approval and erect the billboard, he said, “all these are inconsequential”.
Some Imolites who condemned what they described as the criminal and insensitive actions of Governor Uzodinma’s aides, said, “this is the same treatment they intended to give to the owners of hotels in the Metropolis before the federal government intervened. We had it on good authority that their aim was to book all the rooms, make use of them and then pay the owners of the hotels whatever they like without recourse to laid down rules and procedure”.
