Emerging details about the true ownership of the White Label Company said to be involved in the execution of SUBEB projects in Imo State during the Owelle Rochas Okorocha era is generating interest in Imo State.
A former SUBEB chairman, Dr (Mrs) Uche Ejiogu while giving testimony to questions posed to her by the Judicial probe panel of the Imo State Government reviewing what transpired in the agency during the administration of the Okorocha regime, submitted that the N5.3bn SUBEB money she collected for the state from Abuja was handed over to the White Label firm.
According to Ejiogu who moved from SUBEB to become Education Commissioner and later a House of Assembly member, she was forced to pay the sum of N3.2bn of the N5.3bn to a firm named White Label at the directives of the then commissioner for finance, Deacon Chike Okafor. The amount was part of the Action Plan Fund the FG gave to states for SUBEB programs.
In her own words, according to newsmen who were at the High Court premises venue of the panel sitting, “when I returned from Abuja, I went strength to then governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha to show him the N5.4bn that I came back with while I returned back to my office at IMSUBEB located on Porthacourt road Owerri. Thereafter, Chike Okafor came for the money forcing me to process a mandate for the payment of N3.3bn to White Label, I went back to governor Okorocha who then told me to go ahead up panel that will execute the job for the state.
“In my mind I believed Chike Okafor to be one of them and based on that I complied with his demand”, Ejiogu submitted.
Since the information was made public, Imolites have been worried about the true identity of the owners of the firm that who collected the N3.2bn from the SUBEB chairman.
Dr (Mrs) Ejiogu disclosed to the probe panel that Due Process was not followed in the award of ths contract for the 91 schools as submitted by the SUBEB Finance Director, one Mr Augustine Duru.
The concern of Imolites over the true identity of the owners of White Label Company may not also be unconnected to the controversy surrounding the shrouded secrecy of those behind Zigreat International Company of No 5 Ugbelle Street, Ideato South which also allegedly handled major contracts in the state worth more than 10billion naira.
Maazi learnt that what may have informed residents of the state to make inquires about White Label Company is that like the unknown Zigreat, no one knew about the existence of a company called White Label.
