Ihedioha Rolls out Plans for Imo
Emeka Ihedioha
Amby Uneze in Owerri
The Imo State Government has commenced a review of the report of its Transition Technical Committee (TTC) to midwife a development agenda christened the Growth and Strategic Development Plan (G-SDP).
The state governor, Mr Emeka Ihedioha disclosed this at a ceremony to mark his 100 days in office, noting that to build institutional framework for good government, his administration had set up a structure for transparency and accountability in the governance process
He said: “We have signed into law Executive order 005 known as Treasury Single Account (TSA) Order to consolidate all government revenues under one account. The state government had equally applied other measures designed to plug leakages.”
He said he had taken steps to reform the State Internal Revenue Service, stating that all cash tax payments had been banned with effect from August this year, while the government had mandated the use of the pay direct platform with a Single Source Sweeping of Revenue.
He said that the state government had commissioned a Central Billing System which would drive the use of technology in tax collection and had followed this up with a tax payer enumeration exercise with the attendant benefit of identifying the tax payers and ensuring that they pay the right amount of tax to the right source.
He added that the state government had approved the award of contracts for the reconstruction of 14 critical roads across the state to reduce the suffering of the people, with a flag off of one of the most ambitious rural road construction projects in the country.
He said the project valued at N13.5 billion “is the World Bank Assisted Rural Access and Mobility Projects (RAMP) involving over 70 rural roads networks with a cumulative distance of 381 kilometers across most of the 27 LGAs of the state.”
He also said that he had initiated plans to tackle the disturbing erratic and epileptic power supply in the state with the setting up of the Imo State Power and Rural Electrification Agency (1-POREA), launched Operation Iron Gate to remedy insecurity in the state, just as the Otamiri Water Supply has been rectified for normal and regular supply of water to residents of the Owerri capital city and its environs.
He also listed the launching of an Agricultural Roadmap, which he said, represented a comprehensive framework for self sufficiency in food production, both for domestic consumption and for exports purposes.
Others, he said include rebuilding sports facilities, strategic reforms to enhance investment, getting the pension process in the state right once for all, improved sustainable environmental sanitation exercise through regular clearance of refuse with the State Environmental Transformation Commission, (ENTRACO) Restoration of Autonomy and integrity of the local government as well as promotion of quantitative education.
The governor who used the occasion to launch the first phase of the Chief Leo Stan Ekeh Entrepreneurship Support Program for the indigenes of the state appealed for continued cooperation and understanding from the people of the state to enable him to move the state forward.
The plan which involves a two Stage Development Horizon of five-year Economic Blueprint, according to the government, includes the delivery of 381km rural access road projects, restoration of an improved Owerri master plan, restoration of Water Supply in Owerri metropolis, roll out of a State Health Insurance Scheme as well as the reactivation of four technical education institutions in the state.
