The Imo State House of Assembly standing committee on commerce and industry has commenced familiarisation visit to allied government Ministries and Industries in the private sector with a visit to the Ministry of Trade and Investment, Ministry of Industry as well as the CAMELA Vegetable Oil Company and the Coca-Cola Bottling Company located at the Onitsha road industrial estate, Owerri.
Addressing Permanent Secretaries and heads of departments of the two Ministries, the chairman of the house Committee on Trade and Industry, and member for Ikeduru state constituency, Hon Chief Johnleoba Iheoha said the committee members were on a fact-finding tour with a view to ascertaining the scope of operation, achievements, staff strength, constraints and prospects of the ministries and agencies under their control.
The Committee chairman demanded that the ministries should as a matter of urgency and due process, forward to the committee in writing and within reasonable time, situation reports in the ministries and affiliate bodies as a guide to the committee.
Hon Johnleoba Iheoha, while commending the management of the ministries for being able to sustain the tempo of activities in the ministries and relevant agencies since the dissolution of the state expanded executive council, assured them of the co-operation of the house committee on trade and industry in the execution of government directives, programmes and policies.
Hon Iheoha who expressed inplicit confidence in Governor Hope Uzodimma’s ability and willingness to make the entire state a haven of place within the next four years of his second term in office, warned against all forms of malpractice in the discharge of official duties.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Trade and Investment, Mr. Ebere Orji told the committee that every department of the ministry which according to her, has a staff strength of 159 workers is in active business, striving to rake in revenues for government.
Mrs Orji assured that the ministry would never deviate from the rules and regulations governing the operations of the ministry.
On her part, the acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of industry, Mrs Eucharia Onwumere disclosed that the ministry with a workforce of 59-member staff, had been facing the challenges of poor and irregular power supply, lack of operational vehicles and lack of biometric capture of the staff.
The ministry according to Mrs Onwumere, has Industrial zones in the three senatorial districts of the state and Industrial clusters in the 27 local government areas of the state.
On the second day of the visit, the House committee was confronted with complaints bordering on a horrible and terrible condition of roads in the Onitsha road Industrial estate within Owerri, the state capital.
The chief executive of Camela Vegetable Oil Company, Chief Okey Ikoro while playing host to the House committee on commerce and Industry, lamented that over the years, successive governments had merely made promises without actually tackling the chronic problem of bad roads at the Industrial estate which according to him, has about 154 Industrial plots.
Chief Ikoro among other things, pleaded to the committee to persuade government to restore the original masterplan of the Industrial estate and extend gas supply from Egbema in Ohaji/Egbema local government area to the Owerri industrial estate.
The Nigeria Bottling Company located at the Industrial estate while addressing the committee through its plant manager, Engr Collins Idika, called on Imo state government, to expedite action in providing the enabling environment for industries located at the estate to survive.
Mr. Idika harped on the essence of constructing an all-season road from Onitsha road through the vast and expansive estate.
The house committee chairman, Hon Johnleoba Iheoha was accompanied during the visit by a member of the committee, Rt. Hon Johnson Iheonukara of Ideato state Constituency, clerk of the committee, Mrs Blessing Onyeji and some support staff of the committee.
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