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Ikpeazu Suspends Transport Perm Sec

Zainab Sanni
The Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu has approved the immediate suspension of the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transpartation, Mr Patrick Irokansi.
A statement by the Chief of Staff (CoS) to the Governor, Anthony Agbazuere, directed the suspended Permanent Secretary to hand over to the most senior director in the ministry.
This is coming barely one month after the state government sacked the Commissioner for Transport, Ekele Nwaohanmuo
Although no reason was given for the sack, the state chairman of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Eugene Eze Job, had earlier accused Nwaohanmuo of imposing illegal levies and forcing each member of okada units in the state to pay a daily fee of N600 for registration and N500 for road rehabilitation.
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“How can Okada operators be charged N600 daily and another N500 which they said is for road rehabilitation? The Commissioner for Transport collects money to create loading units everywhere. Those who refuse to pay the illegal tolls are assaulted by thugs. This is why the Okada riders are fighting daily. He also imposed non Okada operators and thugs to lead the Okada riders,” he told journalists.
Nwaohanmuo, while totally denying the allegations, described Eze Job as lawless man, who refused to obey regulations guiding the transport industry in the State.
It could however not be confirmed if the sack of Nwaohanmuo and subsequent suspension of Irokansi were as a result of the accusation and counter accusations between the Commissioner, his Permanent Secretary in the Transport Ministry and the NURTW chairman.
