The Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige says the Federal Government will support Anambra State in rebuilding facilities destroyed by hoodlums during the #EndSARS protests.
Ngige stated this yesterday when he made an on-the-spot assessment of the damages done on the facilities in different parts of the State.
Ngige, a former Governor of the State visited the facilities in the company of the Secretary to the Government of Anambra State, Professor Solo Chukwulobelu and other government officials.
The property visited by the minister included Anambra State Internal Revenue Service, Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra (OCHA) Brigade office, Central Police station, Ogidi, Divisional Police Headquarters, also in Ogidi, Divisional Police Headquarters, Nnobi and Nnewi Central Police Station and barracks as well as the Area Command Headquarters, Nnewi.
The Minister, who spoke shortly after inspecting the facilities, said that President Muhammadu Buhari had directed ministerial representatives of states badly affected by the protests in the South East to go round and see the facilities destroyed during the protests.
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He asked Anambra State Government to compile the list of government facilities affected to see how the federal government could help the state rebuild, adding that the damaged facilities, especially police offices, need to be immediately reconstructed because of their security necessity.
On his part, the Secretary to the Government of Anambra State, Professor Chukwulobelu, who expressed satisfaction with efforts put forward by the federal government observed that a large degree of the havoc was carried out by non-Anambra indigenes, but noted that Anambra State government will initiate a social model that would integrate non-Anambra indigenes into some social affairs of the state to give them a sense of ownership of the environment.
Recall that Governor Willie Obiano had earlier visited some facilities owned by the State government, where he promised that immediate re-construction will soon commence.
In the same vein, the Anambra State House of Assembly Committee on Internally Generated Revenue says the House will increase the budgetary allocation of the Anambra Internal Revenue Service in 2021 Appropriation Bill to make up the losses it incurred from the burnt Revenue House, by hoodlums during the #EndSARS protests.
The Chairman of the Committee, Honourable Chukwuma Okoye disclosed this when the committee visited the AIRS office in Awka for on the spot assessment of the damage caused by the miscreants.
While speaking to journalists at the scene of the burnt Revenue House, Honourable Okoye condemned the unwholesome act in its entirety.
The Legislator pointed out that the implication of the ugly incident is that money that has been set aside to do other projects and develop certain areas will have to be channelled into repairing the Revenue House and other state government property vandalized by hoodlums.
Okoye, however, appealed to the youths to sheath their swords and embrace peace since the government has started meeting their requests.
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