The 2018 budget presentation to the Imo State House of Assembly by Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State failed to take place today as scheduled, Tuesday November 28, 2017.
The budget presentation was billed to take place by 10am.
This online newspaper had reported earlier in the day that not one lawmaker was sighted in the Assembly complex as at 2pm.
As early as 10am, all the commissioner designates recently cleared and confirmed by the House members were on ground to await the arrival of the governor.
He never showed up and no reason was given for the non presentation of the 2018 Budget at that time.
Conflicting stories had emerged on what led to the unfortunate situation which range from the sublime to the ridiculous.
A source had said the lawmakers stormed Government House, Owerri to complain to the Governor that they were not communicated on the budget presentation and they got to know about it on radio like any other citizen of the State.
But to counter further spread of such wild speculations, Government House, Owerri issued a statement signed by the Governor’s Chief Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemedo.
In the statement, he identified discrepancies contained in the Budget speech as the reason why the presentation by the Governor did not take place.
The terse press statement reads ” With utmost regret, we wish to inform the public that the announced presentation of the 2018 budget to the Imo State House of Assembly by the governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha fixed for Tuesday, November 28, 2017 (today) could no longer hold, owing largely to disturbing discrepancies discovered in the budget speech. A new date for the budget presentation will, as usual, be made public.
BY BEN UGWU#
