Anambra executive council not sacked— commissioner

Chief Tony Nnacheta, the Commissioner for Information and
Communication Strategy in Anambra, has dismissed the report that
 Gov. Willie Obiano has sacked all his political
appointees.

Nnacheta made the clarification at a news conference in Awka on
Thursday.

He said the internal memo directing all commissioners and
political appointees to prepare their handover notes and properties
for submission to permanent secretaries and secretary to the state
government was misinterpreted.
The memo was signed by Prof Solo Chukwulobelu, the Secretary to the
State Government and dated March 2.

“His Excellency, Dr Willie Obiano, has directed that all
political appointees and non-civil servants, heads of MDAs in the
state submit their handover notes and reports on or before Friday,
March 16, 2018, to the permanent secretaries of their respective
MDAs.

“All appointees, non-civil servants, heads of MDAs and SSAs/SAs
under reference are to hand over any government projects/ utility
vehicles in their custody to the permanent secretaries, secretary
to the state government or to the office of the governor on or
before 16th March 2018,”  Chukwulobelu wrote.

Nnacheta said Obiano merely asked the political appointees that
their handover notes be completed on or before March 16 when the
tenure of the administration would end.

He said the memo was in line with best practices and not a sack
letter as purported in some reports.

He urged those who published the erroneous and misleading report
to re-cast their headlines and apologise to the state
government.

“The memo was done on March 2, that is; two weeks to the end of
this administration, on that day the governor’s tenure ends and
every political appointee’s tenure end as well.

“From March 16, the government will be in the hands of senior
civil servants until the governor is sworn in on March 17.

“The memo says; hand over your notes and the project vehicles in
your possession, so all political appointees in the state have two
weeks to prepare and hand over these things.
“So, Anambra State Executive Council has not been sacked, not been
dissolved and has not been removed, you do not issue a man letter
and tell him you are sacked in two weeks.

“Some media houses which did not deem it fit to confirm ran that
story to the embarrassment of Anambra Government and the good
people of the state.

“Next week another EXCO meeting would be convened and that will
be the valedictory session and EXCO will eventually stand dissolved
on March 16,” he said

The commissioner said the handover ceremony which would hold on
March 17 would be low-key and urged Anambra people to come out en
masse at Alex Ekwueme Square and celebrate the success of the
Obiano administration.

NAN

Chief Tony Nnacheta, the Commissioner for Information and
Communication Strategy in Anambra, has dismissed the report that
 Gov. Willie Obiano has sacked all his political
appointees.

Nnacheta made the clarification at a news conference in Awka on
Thursday.

He said the internal memo directing all commissioners and
political appointees to prepare their handover notes and properties
for submission to permanent secretaries and secretary to the state
government was misinterpreted.
The memo was signed by Prof Solo Chukwulobelu, the Secretary to the
State Government and dated March 2.

“His Excellency, Dr Willie Obiano, has directed that all
political appointees and non-civil servants, heads of MDAs in the
state submit their handover notes and reports on or before Friday,
March 16, 2018, to the permanent secretaries of their respective
MDAs.

“All appointees, non-civil servants, heads of MDAs and SSAs/SAs
under reference are to hand over any government projects/ utility
vehicles in their custody to the permanent secretaries, secretary
to the state government or to the office of the governor on or
before 16th March 2018,”  Chukwulobelu wrote.

Nnacheta said Obiano merely asked the political appointees that
their handover notes be completed on or before March 16 when the
tenure of the administration would end.

He said the memo was in line with best practices and not a sack
letter as purported in some reports.

He urged those who published the erroneous and misleading report
to re-cast their headlines and apologise to the state
government.

“The memo was done on March 2, that is; two weeks to the end of
this administration, on that day the governor’s tenure ends and
every political appointee’s tenure end as well.

“From March 16, the government will be in the hands of senior
civil servants until the governor is sworn in on March 17.

“The memo says; hand over your notes and the project vehicles in
your possession, so all political appointees in the state have two
weeks to prepare and hand over these things.
“So, Anambra State Executive Council has not been sacked, not been
dissolved and has not been removed, you do not issue a man letter
and tell him you are sacked in two weeks.

“Some media houses which did not deem it fit to confirm ran that
story to the embarrassment of Anambra Government and the good
people of the state.

“Next week another EXCO meeting would be convened and that will
be the valedictory session and EXCO will eventually stand dissolved
on March 16,” he said

The commissioner said the handover ceremony which would hold on
March 17 would be low-key and urged Anambra people to come out en
masse at Alex Ekwueme Square and celebrate the success of the
Obiano administration.

NAN