ENUGU EX LGA BOSS DENIES EMBEZZLING N200B COUNCIL FUNDS

The immediate past Nkanu East local government area of Enugu state,Pastor Sam Iyiogwe,who recently was invited by the Economic and Financial crimes commission,EFCC,over allegations of embezzling his council's funds to the tune of two hundred billion naira, as  published in a national daily[not The Authority], has described the newspaper publication as mere fabrications sponsored by his detractors,to smear his reputation and tarnish his public image.

.Pastor Iyiogwe who addressed news men in Enugu yesterday said he achieved  an outstanding record  in rural development during his four years[two terms] tenure as chairman of Nkanu East council area. However,decided to react  to the malicious publication so as to  disabuse the minds of innocent public.

His words,'“I wish to categorically state that the publication is just an attempt to damage an innocent man’s name and to rubbish my hard earned character and to defame my family name. So I wish to state that all the allegations were borne out of hatred, envy, strive, jealousy and there is no atom of truth in all mentioned'.

“Ordinarily I expected the management of the newspapers that published the sponsored report to sack the authors of that story; incidentally the petitioner who wrote the EFCC and ICPC is not somebody I need to respond to because of his character, behavior and antecedent which are well known in and around Enugu'.

Pastor Iyiogwe said that the petition to EFCC against him was written by a former council chairman of Nkanu East[name withheld] who had administered the council before him,for the fact that he rejected his ideas  on how they can combine in looting the council's funds. Iyiogwe said he was more interested in achieving results where his predecessors failed,as major step in fast tracking rural development in Nkanu East local government area, during his tenure. 

Iyiogwe stated,“The same person sponsored communal crisis in the local government; and the communities have been calling on the state government to investigate the role played by some stakeholders in the Oruku/Umuode communal war where several lives were lost.
What happened to the Umuode and Oruku people are worse than what happened to Nimbo people and a former chairman of Nkanu East was in forefront of its sponsorship'.

“It is laughable for one to allege N200 billion frauds in a local government within a period of four years because even the state government has not received such amount within such a period. From their allegations it means I stole N4.3bn monthly; a local government?

Pastor Iyiogwe also denied owning a shopping complex, as the petitioner stated in the petition to EFCC

“Also, I do not know the shopping complex they are talking about because I and my family have not, anywhere in the world owned a shopping plaza. I wish to categorically state that I never bought; I never built any shopping plaza in Enugu or anywhere in the world. I have never registered any company as a filling station; I never bought, I never operated one; I am not into any partnership with anyone anywhere in the world for such business.

“So it’s left for the authors of this petitions and publications to prove to the whole world where these things exist. They say that I pay my wife N1.5m monthly; I don’t know how they came with that kind of information. The accounts section of the council is there for verification; the auditors are there, the ministry is there to check every kobo we spent.

Pastor Iyiogwe claimed that when  he left office as Nkanu East Council boss on 4th January 2016, there are records to prove that he paid salaries up to date and achieved the feat as the only out going local government chairman in Enugu state, who was not owing workers of his council.