Ikpeazu Sacks ASEPA GM Okwulehie 48hours After House Of Assembly summons

The governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has approved immediate sack of the General Manager of the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA) in-charge of disposal and management of both domestic and industrial wastes in Umuahia, the state capital, Mr. Eze Okwulehie.

This was contained in a statement issued yesterday by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Barr. Chris Ezem.

According to the statement, the governor who is attending the inauguration of the new National Working Committee of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) at the International Conference Centre, Abuja has directed the SSG to oversee the activities of the Agency with immediate effect pending when a substantive head of the agency would be announced.

The Nation had reported that the Abia State House of Assembly lawmakers summon to the General Manager to appear before its House Committee on Environment to explain to the lawmakers, the cause of the growing heaps of refuse in the two major cities of state.

The summoning of the now sacked Okwulehie after the House Committee chairman of Environment, Hon. Kelechi Onuzuruike while speaking on a matter of public importance during the House Plenary lamented the heaps of refuse littering Umuahia and Aba.

According to Hon. Onuzuruike some streets and roads in the State capital and Aba have been taken over by refuse and emphasised that refuse in Umuahia has become an eyesore which made him have an interface with the General Manager of Abia State Environmental Protection Agency.

The House Committee Chairman on Environment said the GM disclosed to him that the agency has only one functional excavator and one roll-on truck.

The lawmaker further disclosed that the ASEPA GM hinted that the agency spends over N1.3m every month to hire other equipment needed for the excavation of refuse in the state.

Hon Kelechi further said that the General Manager said the agency has some equipment in their custody but cannot make use of them because they have not been paid for in full by the State Government.

The lawmaker therefore prayed that the Executive Arm of Government pay for those new trucks so the agency can effectively do their job.

After several contributions by other lawmakers, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Chinedum E. Orji asked the Chairman House Committee on Environment to summon the General Manager of Abia State Environmental Protection Agency to appear before the committee and furnish it with more facts on the situation and efforts made so far by the agency to improve the process.

The House Committee on Environment was to report back to the House on Monday, 13th December, 2021 the outcome of their interaction with Okwulehie.