By Our correspondent
Authorities of Onitsha South Local Government Area have terminated a contract with J.N Okpagu and Sons Enterprises Limited.
The council, it was gathered ,entered into the contract with the firm in 2006 for the management and control of a motor park situated within the precints of National Inland Waterways Authority, (NIWA) at the Bridgehead, Onitsha within the Onitsha council area of Anambra state.
The termination, according to the Transition Committee Chairman of the council, Hon. Emeka Orji, followed a court order restraining the company from further operating on the park, as well as breaching of the contractual agreements ranging from non payment of the agreed fees which the council estimated at over N7 million for the past five years.
In the Suit No. Rev/3/MISC 05/2023, filed. by the local government coucil, the Presiding Magistrate of the Revenue court of Onitsha Magistrate District, N. A. Ozumba had on August 15, this year, ordered that the defendants, Okpagu and his privies should stop operating in the said NIWA motor park.
Meantime, the court has fixed September 8, this year for hearing of Okpagu’s appeal against the court injunction restraining him from further operating in the park.
Armed with the court order, Hon. Orji who stormed the park by himself with court bailiffs and other senior staff of the council, told the Proprietor of the park, Chief Ngozi Okpagu to stop further operations in the park as the council has revoked the contractual agreement entered into with him since 2006 during the regime of the former chairman of the council, Chief Basil Ejidike.
On arrival at the motor park with his team, the court bailiffs served Okpagu with a Magistrate court order which the council obtained restraining J. N. Okpagu from further operating in the park and collecting revenues on behalf of the council since his contract with the council has henceforth been terminated.
Mild drama ensued as Okpagu initially refused to acknowledge the receipt of the proof of service of the court order until after about an hour of persuasion from the court bailiffs, he reluctantly directed one of his staff to acknowledge the receipt of the order.
The drama continued as another round of persuasion started after his staff wrote his name and date of the collection of the order as an acknowledgement but failed to write the time of the collection.
The major drama finally ensued when Okpagu spotted some journalists who accompanied the council officials to the park, descended on them and asked them to leave the park premises, accusing them of writing negative reports against him in the past.
While the journalists were still explaining to him that they did not even know him in person before now, not to talk of writing against him, he pushed one of them hard and they left the park and watched the drama from outside the gate.
Thinking that he could reach a truce with the council officials, he wrote a cheque of undisclosed amount and attempted to hand it over the Hon. Orji as part of payment of his accumulated arrears of revenue debts owed to the council over the years but the council officials refused to accept it from him on the ground that it was already too late since the contract has just been terminated and the council has decided to take over the management of the park and revenue collection by itself.
At the end of the day, the council officials directed their security operatives to mount centri at inside and outside the park to ensure that Okpagu and his workers do not collect more revenues from the commercial vehicles loading both inside and outside the part hencefort, addingl that once all the commercial vehicles loading at the park leave, they would lock up the entrance gates and.disallow Okpagu and his workers from further gaining entrance into the park from the next day.
Reacting to the development shortly after the episode which lasted for several hours, Secretary to Onitsha South Local Government council, Mr. Paul Onuachala told newsmen that the council authorities had sealed the park few months ago for the first time over non payment of sanitation fees to the council over the years after giving the contractor series of demand notices but barely a week after the sealing, he pleaded for leniency and the park was reopened for him.
According to the council scribe, this time around, we have to withdraw our leniency which he has abused because he must have mistaken our previous one for weakness hence he failed to remit the appropriate fees as contained in the contractual agreement reached between the council and his firm since that 2006 and for this reason, it is only court that can vacate this court order which the council used in ejecting him out of the park”.
He contended that Okpagu refused to accept service but rather instructed one of his managers,, Tochukwu Onuoha to sign the receipt of service which was reluctantly done.
The exercise was monitored the both the Police Area Commander for Onitsha, the Divisional Police Officer at Bridgehead and his Fegge counterpart, CSP Rabiu Garba who ensured that breach of peace and tranquillity were maintained during the period even as some interested parties in the matter were accusing the Fegge DPO of taking sides and giving Okpagu undue protection and support in the matter
