C'River Stakeholders, Rights Group Demand Probe of Ayade's Eight Years Administration, Accuse Former Governor of Looting Govt Funds, Operating Over 250 Accounts

By Victor UDU & Olarenwaju BABATUNDE

Barely seven months after handing over the mantle of leadership to Governor Bassey
Otu, some prominent stakeholders and rights group have called for a comprehensive
probe of former Governor Ben Ayade's eight years in office, describing his
administration as monumental failure and an era of darkness.

In separate statements and interviews, the stakeholders accused Ayade of looting the
state dry using phoney companies and allegedly operating over 250 illegal accounts
with hundreds of millions of Naira lodgement.

According to the stakeholders, the former Governor claimed he built over 30
industries across the state, but none of them is functioning as at the time he handed
over power on May 29, 2023 and therefore maintained that he should be made to
account for his stewardship.

Firing the first salvo, Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, representing Cross River North
senatorial district, said it is high time for Crross Riverians to ask questions and it’s
time for answers to be given just as the Anti- Graft Agencies including EFCC and
ICPC should explain what happened to the litany of petitions before it.

According to Jarigbe, "it is only in Cross River State that a Governor will loot for 8
years, without completing one known useful or functional project and walk away
proudly without a probe. 

"That is what gives him the impetus to be lobbying for a ministerial appointment. Do
we know how many lives we have lost to maladministration and deprivation of the
people to satisfy other people’s quest for primitive acquisition? 

"How many of the food-on-the- table beneficiaries are sure of their next meal today?
It was just a manipulative ploy to distract our people because of the fear of hunger?
"We compromised our future and development of the State for Rice and Beans. What
was the percentage of the total income of the State, spent on food on the table? It was
a very negligible percentage. Where did the rest of the funds go to? How is the new
Government taking off? Was there anything left in the Treasury of the State?" he
queried.

On the Cross River Auditor General report, Jarigbe has restated the call to probe Sen.
Ben Ayade, urging him to return all alleged looted funds as directed by the audit
report.

Parts of the audit report made available to the THE BEAGLE NEWS have requested
the Cross River government to explain in details the in-and-out transactions in zenith
and Access banks account numbers 1012499828 and 0007104615 respectively in the
name of Leophina Works Limited.

The report also enquires who the beneficiaries of the debit entries of N200,000,000 on
22-2-2018 and N200,000,000 of 16-1-2018 are. It queried the sum of N581,062,688
linked to Mrs Elizabeth Ayade, Ringardes Nigeria limited and others whose identities
the audit excerpts did not disclose.

Also in their reaction, the Coordinator of Cross River Project, Comrade Ekpenyong
Effefiong, said: "Ayade's tenure for eight years was a monumental waste and
deviation from what he promised during electioneering. He only created room for
bogus employment in order to divert attention from people prying into his
administration for real governance.

"All the projects including the much-advertised three signature projects of Bakassi
Deep Sea Port, Supper Highway and Garment Factory were dead on arrival. The so-
called Rice City, CalaPharm, CalaChicka, Kissmi Noodles, Banana Plantation, Pile
and Pylon, Tooth Pick, Groundnut factories were all dead on arrival even as billions
of tax payers money were sunk into these projects."

According to Ekpenyong, "the group has gone round some of these uncompleted
factories and discovered that none of them is even functioning. We, therefore, call on
EFCC and other financial crimes to interrogate Ayade to tell the world where the
billions provided for these projects were taken to. We the Cross Riverians can no
longer stomach such alleged monumental fraud."

Corroborating the call to look into the books of Ayade government, a legal
practitioner in Nigeria, one time member of the presidential committee on the review
of the constitution and electoral acts in Nigeria headed by a former senate president,
Ken Nnamani, Chief Utum Eteng, Esq, that the agitation to probe the immediate past
administration in the state was to ensure accountability in governance, therefore, not
out of place.

Utum a member of the APC legal committee of the 2022 National Convention, said:
"There is nothing wrong with such a call. We were told that if you see something; say
something. Jarigbe, just like every other concerned Cross Riverian or Nigerian has the
constitutional right to do that so long as it is within the ambit of the law. Nobody
should castigate him for doing that because the onus lies on him to prove or
substantiate his allegation. Remember, what sets a nation free is the truth.

"The idea to probe any leader in whatever capacity be it at the state or federal levels
is to ensure accountability in governance, therefore, the call was not out of place.  So,
in summary. I don’t think Senator Jarigbe has faulted in anyway. For me, calling
Senator Ayade’s administration out, is a way or opportunity to clear himself by giving
an account of his stewardship while at the helm of affairs in the state.

"If any of the proponents of the probe exercise have substantial evidence, such a
person should be commended rather than being antagonized. There is no gain arm
twisting the fact if what is done is for the common good of all.  But, be rest assured
that the idea to probe the past government is not coming from the Prince Bassey Out-
led government which is currently preoccupied with the rapid development of the
state.

"More so, such an exercise is not alien in Nigeria, its not a new trend. It is common
to hear or read in the papers how one former governor or political office holder was
called upon to give account of his or her stewardship while in office.  It’s all about
public interest, and nothing more.

"And, perhaps Ayade is called upon to answer for his past stewardship, he should
make himself available in order to correct whatever impression that may have been
made, especially in the public domain."

A concerned Cross Riverian and a member of Cross River Transition Committee, who
simply gave his name as Agba, disclosed that over 250 bank accounts were allegedly
linked to immediate past administration of Ben Ayade.

Agba revealed that some of these accounts, stuffed with funds accruing from
government financial transactions, were operated by some individuals in their private
capacity and were never accounted for.

According to him, "the committee found out that throughout the eight years of Ayade
there was no proper accounting system as most of his aides, close associates and
family members collected government revenues in the name of consultancy and paid
it into their different accounts. Most of these accounts had hundreds of millions of
Naira lodgement.

"In view of the revelations, the committee recommended a Single Treasury Account
for the state to forestall further leakages and correct these illegalities that were
common feature of the immediate past administration. The committee frowned at
these anomalies, which in its view, have been largely responsible for the looting and
squandering of government resources without anyone being held accountable."

Anoither legal practitioner, Bassey Idim, said: "As an individual, I support the idea
to probe the immediate past administration in the state, especially the former
governor, Prof Ben Ayade. The man ran the state like his private empire; throwing
caution to the wind as he breached the law and due processes in transacting
government’s business."

"Sincerely, we need nothing short of a thorough probe encompassing the award of
contracts, sharp practices in the public service, the execution of fathom or white
elephant uncompleted projects spread across the state.

"Indeed, it will be a mockery on the sensibilities of Cross Riverians if nothing serious
is done to probe the Ayade’s led administration. Justice must be done in order to serve
as a deterrent to other leaders with such a parochial and selfish inclination."