IMO State Governor Hope Uzodimma has appointed himself as Commissioner for Lands in the state.
Uzodimma made the announcement on Tuesday, April 30, during the inauguration of 24 newly appointed commissioners at the Government House, Owerri.
He said he assumed the position to avert corruption scandals that had rocked the sector.
“I will be in charge of the Ministry of Lands that has caused a lot of confusion and corruption. We will sanitise the land system in Imo state,” Uzodimma was quoted as saying.
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He noted that appointments to his government were still ongoing and urged the newly appointed commissioners to shun corruption.
“I have set up a monitoring unit in my office to monitor your office and any score below average must be regarded as a failure. There will be quarterly performance assessments on you, and there will be no excuses. We must leave a legacy… We will work harder than what we did in the first term,” he said.
In November 2023, the governor suspended the former Commissioner of Lands, Survey and Physical Planning in the state, Noble Atulegwu.
Atulegwu was arrested after his suspension and detained for 40 days before his release.
The issue of governors appointing themselves as commissioners has generated controversy in recent times.
In 2023, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun sued the State Governor Ademola Adeleke for appointing himself as Commissioner for Works.
Adeleke also appointed his deputy Kola Adewusi as Commissioner for Sports and Special Needs, prompting the Osun APC, which is also the leading opposition party in the state, to sue the government.
The party urged the court to determine whether Adeleke and his deputy could serve as commissioners despite occupying positions of governor and deputy governor, based on the country’s laws.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.