By Ebuka Onyekwelu, Ph.D
The Anambra State Government has dismissed as false and fabricated reports alleging that three members of the House of Representatives from Anambra State were denied access to the Government House during the recent visit of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas.
The Anambra State Chief of Protocol, Prof. Frank-Collins Okafor, said the lawmakers, Hon. Lilian Orogbu, Hon. Peter Aniekwe and Hon. George Ozodinobi, were not denied access to the Light House, Awka, where Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo received the visiting Speaker.
The Speaker was in Anambra State to commission the new zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Awka.
Prof. Okafor, while reacting to the trending report, described it as a deliberate misrepresentation of what transpired at the entrance of the Government House.
According to him, the lawmakers were subjected to the routine security clearance required of every visitor to the Governor’s Lodge.
“As a matter of fact, what happened was not anything to raise any dust about. It was the routine security clearance procedure at the point of entry into any Government House in the world,” Okafor said.
He explained that access to a Government House or Governor’s Lodge is subject to prior security clearance, stressing that even senior government officials and other dignitaries do not simply walk into such premises without the necessary approval.
“Nobody walks into the Governor’s Lodge, not even his office, without security clearance at the posts. Information on such approvals and visits is usually transmitted before the arrival of such guests to facilitate easy passage.
“In this case, nobody, including the security personnel, knew that they were coming, nor did they obtain any approval of such visit before their arrival. Neither the Governor nor the Protocol Unit knew they were coming,” he stated.
The Chief of Protocol further said he personally explained the situation to the lawmakers and apologised to them, expressing surprise that the incident was subsequently portrayed as a deliberate attempt by the state government to deny them access.
“I personally explained the situation and apologised to the honourable members involved. I was surprised that such a fabricated narration could be created from nothing at all.
“No official of the government was alerted; none even called me too. None of us knew they were at the security clearance,” Okafor added.
He cautioned against what he described as deliberate falsehood capable of unnecessarily inflaming the political atmosphere in the state.
According to him, the security personnel at the entrance of the Government House were simply performing their duties by checking whether the visitors had the required clearance.
“When a visitor’s name is not found on the register of visitors at the entry point, security will not grant the visitor access. It is a standard practice and nothing else,” he said.
Okafor maintained that there was no political motive behind the security checks, insisting that the incident should not be misconstrued as an attempt by the Anambra State Government to embarrass or shut out the lawmakers.
He urged members of the public to disregard the report of alleged denial of access, describing the incident as a routine security procedure that was blown out of proportion.
Tags: Anambra State, Prof Frank-Collins Okafor, Governor Soludo, Tajudeen Abbas, House of Representatives.
