CHIJIOKE EDEOGA IN THE BIGGEST MONEY HEIST SCANDAL BY A SINGLE PUBLIC OFFICIAL IN ENUGU.
An Investigative journalist has blown alert on its findings about the sacked Labour Party governorship candidate, Mr. Chijioke Edeoga and N2B corruption scandal.
Information from insiders in the Enugu State Ministry of Local Government Matters has it that Mr Edeoga started a magazine business where he extorts money from the various 17 local government Chairmen on the account of publishing their activities in a government owned magazine.
The recently sacked candidate of the Labor Party used the opportunity of his closeness to the Governor to defraud innocent local government Chairmen with threats of not going back for second term if they fail to cooperate with him. On one occasion, during the local government primary elections in the state, information has it that Mr. Edeoga asked a particular local government Chairman for N100M to enable him lobby the Governor for a return ticket. The said local government chairman paid the money to Edeoga who used it to buy properties at Gwarimpa Estate in Abuja.
In his days as the Commissioner for local government matters, he amassed illegal wealth in preparation for his evil governorship desire. He was known for cutting corners and conceiving unlawful ideas that will endeavour misappropriation and criminality.
Mr. Edeoga through the proceeds of his corruption spree while in office as the Commissioner for local government matters, bought a building which he intended using as his campaign organization office while using government funds to buy and divert about 15 sienna cars which he was saving for his governorship campaigns.
It was also gathered that after his redeployment to the ministry of environment in 2019, Chijioke secretly changed the ownership of the “News Magazine” which was owned by the state government to an already existing company to enable him continue defrauding the local government Chairmen. Those millions of naira which he collects from the various local government Chairmen accrued to about N2billion. In all ramifications, this is the biggest money heist scandal by a single public official in Enugu State. If it were to be in a sane clime, Mr. Edeoga would have been in custody of the financial watchdogs such as the EFCC and the ICPC for misappropriation of government properties and engagement in corrupt and sharp practices.
Edeoga committed all sorts of atrocities while in the ministry of local government affairs and also as a Commissioner for environment because he felt like a demigod as a result of the money which he embezzled, and the power intoxication which he used against the poor and the vulnerable.
N2billion is enough money to the state treasury at this present time when the economy of Nigeria is nosediving to little or no internal generated revenue . The siphoned money would have been of great use in salvaging the deplorable state of health care centers in the various local government areas of Enugu State.
Obinna Odoh writes from Ekulu, Enugu State.
