BY TORDUE SALEM
Rep. Igochukwu Aguma, Sports Commissioner under the administration of former Rivers State governor, Dr. Peter Odili, has called for cessation of criticisms against the regime of his ex-boss.

Aguma, who chairs the House of Representatives’ Committee on Gas Resources, made the call yesterday at a briefing in the Federal Capital Territory.

The lawmaker, through a statement he issued, said he had to give the caution because most of the critics of Odili were peddling mere rumours and not facts on the regime of the man that ran the government from 1999-2007.

“All the policies being carried out today in Rivers State, are the policies of Dr. Peter Odili. But like every policy, there is the need to fine -tune it and dust it to make it in tune with the present time. And that is what the present government is doing to make it people oriented and adaptable”, he stated.

According to him, “Odili chose his successors so that all his policies  and programmes could be carried  out, sustained and implemented  to the letter.

“But they are now criticising him and making  the people feel that he did not serve their interest. If we must speak the truth, we should call a  spade a spade. Odili initiated most of these policies and programmes that are now being fine-tuned by government.”

According to Aguma, Odili made it possible for emergence of the present governor of the state, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, who was the speaker of the State House of Assembly during Odili’s regime, his deputy governor, Chief Tele Ikuru, a Commissioner under Odili and present speaker of the State House of Assembly, who was then deputy speaker to Amaechi and several others who served in different capacities in that administration.

He explained that all the budget and statutory allocations under Odili were thoroughly examined before they were passed by the State House of Assembly, then presided over by Amaechi in his capacity as the speaker and should, therefore, not be a subject of controversy several years after.

“His policies are now being implemented by the present government, For those of us who served under Odili in one capacity or the other, it is time for us to correct the impression and, wrong one for that matter, and stop further tarnishing of his image,” Aguma said.

“We have to speak out today. There is not one programme of the present government that wqs not initiated  by Odili. They were cut out to be sustained  by the government  that took over  from him. Indeed it is time for all of us  who  were part and parcel of that government to tell the people the truth,” he said.

Aguma advised that Odili should be given credit  of initiating the biggest power project , an idea which the federal government bought into,  which had seen the emergence of the NIPP projects in several parts of the country,

On Urban renewal and Housing  he said “ the new Port Harcourt City project , housing  , free medical service  and mass transportation scheme  were all initiated by Odili.