Posted by By Geoffrey Anyanwu, Awka on
Governor Chris Ngige of Anambra State yesterday lashed out at the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Ahmadu Ali, describing him as an outlaw, over his recent comment that the party would not obey the court order on Ngige's expulsion from the party.
Governor Chris Ngige of Anambra State yesterday lashed out at the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Ahmadu Ali, describing him as an outlaw, over his recent comment that the party would not obey the court order on Ngige's expulsion from the party.
Speaking at the swearing-in of members of his reconstituted cabinet, Ngige said it was unbelievable that the national chairman of the ruling party could be bold to say he would not obey courts and judgments.
Ngige who was advising public officers on the need to take the oath of office they swore seriously, expressed surprise that Ali did not seem to know the importance of the oath he took when he was sworn into office.
He said: "There is one thing I have noticed in government business, people swear to the oath of office and they don't take it serious, they don't want to conform. If you look at the schedules of the constitution, which you have sworn to obey and to adhere to, there are many dos and don'ts there. Official Secret Act; you don't leak official secrets, but government has been so trivialised here, that outsiders can tell you what is happening in your office.
"Therefore, it becomes pertinent again to warn people that the oath being taken is not for jokes, and you can always see that people joke with it. Otherwise, how can a national chairman of a party that swore to uphold the constitution of Nigeria, because I was there that day at Abuja when the oath was taken.
"How can he tell you that he won't respect a court judgment? The same court, the judiciary, they were party to the 1999 Constitution. So does it mean that the man knows what the oath taking is worth? He doesn't realise it. It was part of the oath he took that day to uphold the constitution of the PDP and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, that is how it is done. In the same way, some of you will now come and tell me that you will not obey a court order, while you are swearing here today that this Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria you will respect and obey it. So these are the problems in the country, these are the problems".
Ngige stated that because of the attitude of Nigerians to oath-taking, he had decided that by next week, every officer in the Anambra State Government would come and re-take the oath of office and Official Secrets Act.
The reconstituted cabinet has three new commissioners, Hon. Charles Amilo for Information and Culture; former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Okey Enemuo, for the new Ministry of Environment and Forestry, and Chief Edwin Erinne, for Agriculture.
Also sworn-in were Mr. Agochukwu Okpalaoka as Special Adviser, IGR; Mr. Hycienth Nweke, Chief of Staff; Mr. Bob Lawrence Chiekwu, Special Adviser on Security and Mr. Hycienth Odikpo as a commissioner in the Justice Service Commission.
Ngige moved the former Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon. Emma Udegbunam to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry while the former Commissioner for Information and Culture, Chief Joseph Offorkansi and his colleague of Commerce and Industry, Chief Kenneth Arinze were yet to be assigned their new duties.
The governor, however, announced that two additional ministries would be created and two more permanent secretaries appointed for them.
Meanwhile, a little drama happened when the first two new commissioners were about to take the oath of office and allegiance as they forgot to come up with either biro or pen to sign their papers and were looking for biro to the chagrin of the governor who queried the SSG, Mr. Alex Chukwurah verbally on why he did not guide them aright.