Ebonyi Governor, Francis Nwifuru has ordered the consolidated Ebonyi quarry owners Association to return back to operation or seize to transact business in the site.
According to the Governor, the actions of the association is a sabotage to the State economy.
Governor Nwifuru, through the State commissioner for solid minerals Hon. Chidi Onyia, disclosed this to Tribune online in a telephone interview while reacting to the shutting down of business in Ezillo, Ishielu local government area by the association over the arrest of its chairman Chief Chikaodiri Ojimba.
Recall that Chief Ojimba, the chairman of the association was on Saturday last week, arrested by an agent company over the association refusal to remit the State government revenue to the private company contracted for the collection.
But the commissioner in his part said the agent company is legit, contracted by the State government for the revenue collection..
He charged the association to cooperate with the agent company and report any policy that is not comfortable to them through the right channel.
Onyia said; “I held a meeting with them yesterday and I have told them to go back to their site. There is no reason to warrant such action that will frustrate people’s business whether in solidarity or whatever and even their chairman was arrested, it could be to his own benefit. People that arrested him are Agents of the government also and they are there to enforce law and order. It is never out of place that anyone was arrested.
“While they were in my office, they agreed that they were going to cooperate with the state government and their support and loyalty is 100per cent with the government of Governor Francis Nwifuru.
“The IGR was contracted to a company to collect on behalf of the state government. Initially, the amalgamated quarry owners that were doing the collection and remit to the state government but the present govt in it’s wisdom, deem it fit to contract it to a private fame and the company pays the govt in advance before collection and if they are defaulting, to me is a sabotage on the side of the contractor became the contractor is not owing.
“In fact, they have no reason to take laws into their hands and I have advised them that at any point there are any policies they are not comfortable with, there are proper channels where they can lodge their complaints rather than taking laws into their hand.
“So I have also let them know that any plan to do anything wrong, they should know that it is a clear economic sabotage,” he said.
