…Aggrieved Members Fingers Exco in N47milliom Scam
Members of Idu Independent Furniture Designers Market Association, Idu-Abuja have protested what they called the “illegal conversion of teens of slots of land” approved by the Special Duties Office of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council to the market by executive members of the association for their private use.
In a protest letters sent to the Hon. Minister of the FCT, Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 7 Headquarters, Abuja, The Eze Igbo 1 of Abuja as well as President, Eze Udo of the 19 Northern states titled: “Demand For Your Prompt Intervention To Avert A Breach Of The Peace In The Sharing Of Allocation In Respect Of FCDA Allocation To Idu Independent Furniture Designers Association, Abuja” dated 22nd July, 2015 signed by Messrs: Victor Ihebom, Odinaka Ike, Okechukwu, Osita Okafor and Nwafor John Paul on behalf of over 400 aggrieved members and made available to us alleged that their rights were being denied from benefiting from the land allocation by the market’s Executive members.
The petitioners alleged that the FCDA approved and allocated a space of land for the Idu Independent Furniture Designers Association but that their exco members in collaboration with some unknown people decided to deny the entire 460 member-association the benefit of the allocation, lamenting that the exco told them that the land was only made for the Executives and some highly placed individuals in the market totaling about fifty persons.
These aggrieved members who have equally taken their case to the Human Rights Commission, stated that this illegal acquisition of their commonwealth by a selected few individuals is totally unacceptable and therefore urge the authorities to commence thorough investigations into the land scandal with a view to finding the actual number of slots approved for the market as they first heard 70 slots which was later changed to 50 slots. They warned that the matter may degenerate into chaos if urgent steps are not taken to invite both parties for a round table for an amicable and lasting solution to the matter.
The petition also reveals how both the past and present excos allegedly misappropriated about N47 million meant for the association from Aso Savings and Loans Bank. The petition further read, “Consequently both the past and present executives have severally on different occasions fraudulently enriched themselves to the tunes of loans of millions of naira. For instance, the past executive defrauded the union up to N35,000,000.00, while the present exco has up to N12,000,000.00 the chairman, Mr. Anthony Mgbeahuruike alleged that it was loan. We asked who authorized for the loan and for what? We humbly request the authority to also investigate this aspect of our account with Aso Savings and Loans Bank and the details of electronic jingle made on behalf of the union.
When contacted in separate telephone interviews with both the Board of Trustees chairman, Mr. Francis Ukaeche, Chairman of the association, Mr. Anthony Mgbeahuruike as well as the Secretary, Mr. Christian Ugwu on Thursday July 23, 2015, all confirmed that the slots of land in dispute was acquired with the name of the association. However, the BOT chairman Mr. Ukaeche disagreed with the Exco on the lopsided manner the slots were shared by the Exco without the consent of the entire association members. He confirmed that Development Control Officials told them that a total number of 70 slots were allocated to the association and later reduced it to 50 slots for whatever reasons best known to them, while both Mr. Mgbeahuruike and Mr. Ugwu alleged that the 50 slots given to them were shared among his 12-member exco, three former exco members, the BOT Chairman with the rest shared among some other selected principal members of the association. Former chairman and patron of the association Mr. Donatus Ebisi who confirmed the allegations above, informed us that the fault of the exco is that they failed to properly inform all the members through a general meeting when the slots was approved, asserting though that there are some excos that would not have let anyone know when the allocation came out until the completion of their buildings.
In same vein, a principal stakeholder in the market, Mr. Cliff Anene said though he doesn’t subscribe to injustice but that the way and manner the aggrieved ones are taking the matter should be rechanneled to a round table issue. On the allegation of fund misappropriation, the chairman, Mr. Mgbeahuruike who declined comments on the issue while on a telephone interview however requested our correspondent to forward him with a copy of the petition so that he prepare himself for any questions that might emanate there-from, claiming that he cannot discuss such issues on phone because he doesn’t know the caller.
