Enugu Assembly accuses ministry, agency of scaring investors

By DENNIS AGBO

Enugu State House of Assembly has accused the state ministry of Lands and Urban Development, as well as the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority, ECTDA, of scaring investors in the state through multiple taxations.

The House of Assembly also disclosed that the Commissioner for Lands, Dr Victor Nnam and the Chairman of ECTDA, Dr Josef Onoh ignored three consecutive invitations extended to them by a special committee set up by the House of Assembly to investigate illegal extortion of residence of the state.

The House Committee chairman on Communication, Hon. Jeff Mba made the disclosures while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the committee’s meeting at the Assembly Complex.

The Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, Hon. Uche Ugwu expressed dismay at the refusal of Onoh and Nnam to appear before it to assist the committee in its investigation, describing it as a total disregard to the state’s legislative arm of the government.

The Deputy speaker, who dismissed representatives of the ECTDA, stressed that the Assembly would not interface with them as they were not competent to either answer or provided the information needed by the lawmakers.

Ugwu noted that they, as the representatives of the people, would not sit and allow their constituents to be extorted by government ministry, department or agency under the guise of generating revenue for Enugu State.

On the refusal of Onoh and Nnam to appear before the committee, the House spokesman, Mba, hinted that the assembly would take a decision on that.

“We are not going to begin to engage individuals who probably have an excuse for not appearing to offer their own help to this committee,” he added.

Mba pointed out that Onoh and Nnam were invited to brief the lawmakers on the allegations levelled against the two government establishments.

According to the House spokesman, the activities of the agency and the ministry were seriously hampering and scaring away local and foreign investors from the state.

He said investors were being made to pay through their nose before setting up their businesses.

Mba disclosed that the Seventh Assembly would not sit and allow any state government’s ministry, Department or agency to scare away potential investors.

He said the activities of Executive officials were robbing the state of internally generated revenue.

Mba said the two government officials were also invited to educate the lawmakers on the way their establishments generate revenue for the government. (Vanguard)