Controversy As Imo Assembly Moves To Reclaim Former Parliamentary Quarters

The Imo State House of Assembly and operators of Heroes Apartment, an exclusive residential housing estate in New Owerri, Imo State with various brands of business outlets are on collision course at the moment.

Reason is that the state legislature has moved a motion urging Governor Hope Uzodimma to immediately recover the Hero’s Apartment.

The premises, located opposite Concorde Hotel, in New Owerri part of the state capital, was formerly known and called Parliamentary Quarters as it was the quarters of members of the Imo State House of Assembly.

It could be recalled that the several flats of buildings built same time the gigantic Imo State House of Assembly complex was built, in the past, housed staffers of the state legislature until the administration of Rochas came into office in 2011.

Information available to Impartial Observers has it that apparently not comfortable with the state of the complex which was in partial sorry state, the administration of Okorocha handed it over to a property management and development firm known as Chinwe Akanno & Associates, to reconstruct and manage the facilities for 20 years.

Though, Impartial Observers is not privy to the details of the agreement necessitating Chinwe Akanno & Associates to take over management of the facilities but it was noticed that reconstruction of the building structures took place and the place renamed Hero’s Apartment.

For the eight years of Okorocha in office, the property was under the care of Chinwe Akanno & Associates with an identical blue colour paint after the repairs and reconstruction of the buildings.

Impartial Observers can vividly recall that in February 2014, there were skirmishes between the state government and Chinwe Akanno & Associates over the facility.

It was further gathered that attempts by Chinwe Akanno & Associates, to erect new structures was resisted by the Owerri Capital Development Authority, OCDA.

The OCDA General Manager during that era, Hon Ifeanyi Abakwume challenged Chinwe Akanno & Associates to present the paper authorizing it to build new structures in the complex.

Abakwume alleged that Akanno Associates went against the law by constructing new apartments in the “Open Space” in the quarters, which is meant for recreation, and thereby went against the design of the complex.

With the motion asking the governor to recover the parliamentary quarters, there are fears that operators of the place may resist Government Recovery considering that it had entered an agreement to reconstruct and manage the facilities for 20 years. From 2011 till 2024 is less than 20 years.

With the Imo State House it Assembly bent of taking back the premises, indications are rife that ligations may come in as Chinwe Akanno & Associates, will as usual go into battle line with government authorities trying to meddle into the affairs of the Hero’s Apartment, since the 20 years it reportedly entered into with the state government for the facilities is yet to elapse.

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