– As arrested beneficiary of loan regains freedom
By Martin Nwoko
Political aides to the member representing the Ikeduru and Mbaitoli federal constituency at the House of Representatives, Hon. Henry Nwawuba have been linked to a raging bribe scandal involving about fifteen youths in the Federal Constituency who where beneficiaries of the Federal Government sponsored loan facility administered through Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.
Speaking to newsmen immediately after the release of the detained Beneficiary of the said loan, a leader in Ikeduru and a an aide to Hon. Uche Ogbuagu, who doubles as the Majority Leader of Imo State House of Assembly, Chief Goddy Ibeawuchi, disclosed that some of its citizens rights were trampled upon following which the manner and reason Prince Chikwendu Nwansi was arrested by Mr. Samuel Nwokeocha who summoned him to white house Akabo for a meeting with the name of Hon. Uche Ogbuagu on the campaign against Covid-19 and as a good Ikeduru citizen and borne out of courtesy and respect for Hon. Uche Ogbuagu attended the purported meeting and there he was abducted on the orders of Hon. Henry Nwawuba’s aides.
Chief Goody Ibeawuchi condemned the act whereby Federal government through the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs gave start-up loans to about fifteen youths in its Federal Constituency and some persons are demanding 50% of the said money and even went ahead to be attacking and harassing the beneficiaries to the extent that most of them are not sleeping in their homes for fear of being arrested by Hon. Henry Nwawuba’s aides and agents.
Narrating his ordeal after he was released from the police custody, Prince Chikwendu Nwansi regretted his experience at the hands of security operatives who arrested him stressing that after he and his colleagues were trained for about four months and were certified in their different areas of specializations, the federal government through the Ministry credited into their various bank accounts the said amounts of N500,000 each to enable them start their businesses and trade, on which they have been trained on for four months of all expenses paid at an Abuja hotel.
Also contributing, another recipient Mr. Okezuo Uche narrated that they suspected foul play when Hon. Nwawuba’s aides directed them to open a two different accounts-one in micro finance bank and another in one of the new generation banks. He also alleged that Mr. Samuel Nwokeocha demanded the sum of N250,000 alongside one Mr. Victor from each of them but ended up paying N80,000 as bribe to the said aides. Mr Okezuo Uche also hinted that he has not been sleeping in his house since June 10th, 2020, when the federal government paid the N500,000 into their various bank accounts following threats and harassment from the aides of Hon. Henry Nwawuba.
In his contribution, a legal practitioner and a human rights activist, Barr Jeff Igweaka, disclosed that he was shocked when he heard that one Mr. Samuel Nwokeocha and Isidore Chukwuemeka petitioned some youths in Mbaitoli and Ikeduru Federal Constituency for failure to pay them 50% from the N500,000 the federal government gave to each of the youths as loan stressing that the act is very unfair and aimed to defraud the innocent youths who were empowered by the federal government hinting that the said aides of Henry Nwawuba including Isidore Chukwuemeka, who claims to be a youth leader may be playing a script handed over to them by their master,Hon Henry Nwawuba.
Until the bribe scandal burst in the open following threats from Isidore Chukwuemeka and his accomplice, no one ever knew that the federal government of Muhammadu Buhari, who have been feeding pupils of public schools in the entire Nigeria since 2016, has provide for free training and all expenses paid for the empowerment of 50 youths per federal constituency as well as releasing the sum of N500,000 to each of them to start up businesses in the area they were trained.
Some federal legislators elsewhere had presented only their children, wards, nieces and nephews or inlaws so as to corner the entire funds without anyone exposing the thievery.
According to some observers, it would be necessary for the state government to publish the list of those who benefitted from the free training facilities and funding, in order to shame the devil and expose those in the House of Representatives, who present the programme as their personal empowerment project for the youths.
