Imo Commissioners, Perm Secs On War Path Over Ministry Allocation

By Okey Alozie
A whirlwind is blowing across the various ministries in Imo State following the disagreement between the commissioner and permanent secretary over the management of money released for the ministries.
Information available to Trumpeta has it that what is the bone of contention is about who controls and dispatches the funds.
Trumpeta gathered that various amount of money running into millions of naira are mapped out monthly to the ministries as imprest thereby causing disaffection between the commissioner and permanent secretaries in the state.
It was learnt that while some of the commissioner insist it is their right to dispense and order how the money is spent, some of the permanent secretaries are insisting on taking charge of the disbursement of funds.
Our reporter at the state secretariat complex located along Portharcourt road Owerri, observed that the Directors and Perm Secs have team up to rattle the commissioners who want to pucket these millions of naira.
The worst hit in this imprest wahalah include ministry of water resources, ministry of live stock, and ministry of foreign affairs.
All these ministries mentioned above received fifteen million naira each because they are new ministries.
The perm secs of these ministries have gone to the commissioners for harmonization but the Commissioners were alleged to have refused to bring out the fund openly for the office use.
The commissioners are saying that the fund (N15 million naira) is their take off grant and not the use of perm secs and directors.
This development has paralyzed activities of some of the ministries as the imprest to run the various offices are available.
No money to fuel the gen set in the ministries mentioned above.
Government write ups are being typed outside office do to lack of fund.

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