The concession of Imo Transport Company (ITC) by Imo State government to Diamond Stripes Limited, the concessionaire, has placed members of staff of ITC on collision course with the administration of Governor Emeka Ihedioha, writes CHRIS NJOKU.
A few days to Christmas Eve, Helen Amadi and two other friends set out on a journey to Enugu. They arrived at the Imo Transport Company (ITC) along MCC Road, Owerri. They were expected to board the company’s fleet of buses to their destination.
A few minutes to the take-off time, they said some people identified later as union leaders came to their bus and ordered them to disembark.
The union had instructed their members to embark on strike. The passengers said they had to pay additional money to move their luggage out of the company’s premises.
Also, narrating her experience, Ngozi Adaorah said she had an important appointment to meet at Umuahia in Abia State but was shocked on getting to the transport company only to see the gate that leads to the premises under lock and key.
On enquiry, she said they were told that the workers were on strike following their disagreement with the state government over the concession of ITC to a private company.
Many travellers suffered the effects of the momentary disruption of the services of the transport company hours before Christmas Day when they embarked on strike action to drive home their disagreement over the concession of the government-owned transport company.
The issue of concession has become a source of industrial conflict among employers and employees. Most union leaders and workers feel that to concession a company means to lay off workers and as such resist every attempt to concession any company while the management has always maintained that to concession is to bring in expertise that would propel the rapid growth of the company.
Most times, the management has ended up downsising as the affairs of the company are left in the hands of new management to handle the affairs of the workforce.
It is true when the new administration inherited ITC; it only existed in abbreviation. It was no longer the trail-blazing ITC that could boast as the inspiration and motivation that led to most states, east of the Niger, to have their operation of state-owned transport companies and corporations.
However, the issue of concession in the state has always led to industrial conflict as the workers had often accused the government of “abuse of process” in the concession deal which, most times, workers have always accused the government or management of unilaterally carrying out the concession deal with little or no consultation with other stakeholders.
When Ada Palm Plantation and Concorde Hotel were concession to Roche, an Irish firm, the workers embarked on strike action.
They accused the state government of doing so without proper consultation. Today, the stakeholders have expressed concern over the manner the current concession of the state-owned transport company was also handled.
The coordinator of Imo Peoples’ Action for Democracy (IPAD), Marjorie Ezihe and the Secretary, Chibundu Uchegbu criticised the process of concession of the most lucrative industry in Imo State, adding that Governor Emeka Ihedioha unilaterally decided to concession the company without due consultation.
They said the process was unilaterally conceived, facilitated and unilaterally finalised by the governor with sheer disregard and disrespect to the much-widely preached “due process”.
We are highly disappointed that this is coming from a man who promised to be a leader with a difference, even as he called for its immediate reversal.
They explained that ITC is a limited liability company, saying that any attempt to concession it without observing due process as enshrined by law amounts to illegality.
“If this can happen to ITC, what then is the fate of other state-owned industries such as Imo Rubber, Ada Palm and others?”
They said it is worrisome that the state government did not adhere to the principles of the Open Government Partnership platform, which the administration signed and the rule of law the governor swore to defend, protect and preserve.
They said ideally there should have been a multi-stakeholders’ consultation of labour unions, civil society organisations, media and the Imo people.
“This is the exact act of the immediate past government, which was decried and condemned by Imo people,” they noted.
Continuing, he said: “No matter how it appears, there is no emergency in the state that warrants such unilateral and recessive action by the chief servant of the state.”
IPAD leaders’ argument may be rational following the position of an official of the state House of Assembly, Aku Obidinma.
An activist, Obidinma, who is the Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, supports the argument of IPAD that the concession of ITC did not go through due process.
He noted that the concession left so many questions unanswered. “What procedure was observed in the concession? Did the government comply with the open governance partnership it signed into in doing this? How did the government arrive at Transport Hub? Was there an open bidding? What are the conditions of the concession?”
He said to expect these questions that were raised answered; the governor would be regarded as dancing the drums beat of the sycophants. He advised the governor to beware of sycophants.
“What these sycophants are doing now was why Peter Obi loudly warned Ihedioha to be careful with blind praise singers and sycophants.
I’m sure you are following the impeachment hearing in the United States of America (USA) to see government appointees testifying against the President.
“Some of us will distance ourselves from this government if this abracadabra concession is not addressed properly by the government,” he stated.
He urged the governor to toe the line of President Muhammadu Buhari who has yielded to demands of Nigerians by releasing Dasuki and Sowore to revisit the ITC concession to ensure that due process is observed.
Defending government’s action, the Commissioner for Transport, Sly Enwerem, who was accused of keeping silent over the issue, later stated at an interactive meeting with reporters and civil society groups, ITC Interim Management Committee and the concession team in Owerri on Tuesday that the arrangement would, among many things, revitalise the company, offer employment opportunities and enhance economy of the state.
He maintained that the arrangement would not affect the job of the workers, but would instead improve their general welfare and productivity.
He advised the workers and other stakeholders of the company and entire Imo citizens to keep faith with the governor’s administration and support it to succeed.
The Special Assistant to Imo State Governor on Research, Ogu Bundu Nwadike, expressed sympathy and empathy for people that suffered the effects of the momentary disruption of the services of Imo Transport Company hours before Christmas Day.
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“It’s really sad that for what has been underscored as personal aggrandisement, some unscrupulous power and money mongers that the RebuildImo administration has dislodged with the impetus of rule of law and due process could compel workers of ITC to down tools at a time like the Yuletide when their services were needed most.
“What does anybody gain in causing hardship to travellers and commuters, particularly the vulnerable group, such as expectant mothers, toddlers and children? What were their offences? Rather, what’s Government’s offence, which is punishable by tormenting people travelling for the Christmas and New Year festivities?” he asked.
He said the excuse about Government concession of the management of ITC to some private entrepreneurs doesn’t add up and wondered when concession has become a negative concept.
For clarification purpose, he revealed that the state government has, after due consultations and recourse to rule of law and due process, deemed it necessary to rebuild ITC through a form of private, public partnership (PPP) for greater efficiency and effectiveness.
“In all sincerity, the era is over when government saddles and encumbers itself with the day-to-day running of business enterprises such as transport and haulage goods and human passengers,” he stated.
He said ideally, the government should focus on the provision of good governance, as that enhances the effectiveness and efficiency of government and governance for the best delivery of good dividends of democracy.
According to him, goods and services entrepreneurship is best assigned to certified, competent and experienced private operators with track record of success in the specific business line as partners with the government.
“There have been situations that made ITC synonymous with difficulty. Those situations need to be made less difficult if ITC will regain its glory.
He said people who are less informed and misinformed about the essence of concession are those invoking it as a cogent excuse to unleash hardship upon travellers and commuters who hoped on ITC for their journey for the Christmas and New Year festivities.
Nwadike believed that with the concession, ITC will be rebuilt and repositioned for productivity and to face the challenges of the new decade beginning from January 1, 2020.
“The age-long shylock cabal fighting ITC and reaping off Ndimo and the state for years must be disarmed and dislodged by the government and people of Imo State via the instrumentality of the defined and structured change of ownership,” he added.
The Director, Diamond Stripes Limited the concessionaire, Dr. George Nwangwu, said they would soon purchase 100 vehicles, employ over 100 drivers and uplift the infrastructure of the company to offer best services to the people.
He said the process for the concession was transparent and promised to deliver to the expectations of the state government as contained in the agreement.
Nwangwu, who also debunked the report that the governor concession ITC to his younger brother, said Diamond Strips Limited is a reputable company known across the globe in public-private partnership business.
The ITC IMC Chairman, Emeka Aririguzo, expressed delight with the initiative of the governor for ITC, stressing that the arrangement would yield positive results for the state and the ITC workers.
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