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Monday, November 14, 2011

Imo privatises transport corporation

CHRIS NJOKU


The Imo State government has privatised the states transport corporation; it was learnt at the weekend.

The contract was given out to a private company known as Global Ginikana for N360m out of which the company had paid N200m. The contract was signed by the Special Duties Commissioner, Chief Ezerioha on behalf of the state government without an input of the current management of the corporation led by the General Manager, Chief Bennett Achionu.

This has led to the puzzle why would the Imo State government privatise a state-owned company that rakes in N10m monthly to the state governments coffers? This is the question on the lips of people of the state who woke up last week to observe that the Imo Transport Corporation (ITC) has joined the league of state-owned companies in the state that have been privatized.

It was gathered Chief Achionu was summoned by the special duties commissioner during the public holiday to provide the seal of the corporation, but the general manager refused to oblige, saying that the seal was in a safe in his office at MCC Road. But the workers who were not prevy to the resistance being put up by the general manager against the move by government to privatize the corporation accused him of being a sell-out.

On Tuesday November 8, 2011, the workers walked out in protest when talks between them and new management broke down as they refused to sign a new condition of service which they considered to be unfavourable to them.

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