Otu Spits Fire, Warn Appointees To Stay Clear From LG Revenue Or Get Sack
By Ndifreke Bassey & Ekanem Asuquo
Details have emerged from the outcome of the meeting between Governor Bassey Otu and stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress APC from Calabar Metropolis held in the state capital recently.
Findings by THE BEAGLES NEWS revealed that the meeting was convened ostensibly to address the lingering feud in the Calabar Municipality APC triggered by the inordinate quest exhibited by the immediate past state top-ranked officials of the APC, Council Chairman, Nta Efeffiong, and the embattled chapter chairman of the party, Emmanuel Mbora to hold on to juicy revenue points of Calabar Municipal Council which they appropriated to themselves as personal estates.
Flashpoints for contention were the Marian Market, Private Parks, Outbound Vehicles, Ayade multi-purpose shopping complex, and the adjacent sprawling market known in local parlance as "Udua Nyeghe Iso" which witnessed multiple taxations, harassment, and intimidations of Council revenue clients resulting in hues and cries from traders and market women.
Perturbed by the nefarious activities of the revenue merchants, attempts by concerned stakeholders led by the Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Chief Felix Idem, House of Assembly member for Calabar Municipality, Stanley Nsemo, and a few others to check the excesses of the Nta Eke and Co resulted in a blood bath at Marian market and legal tussles in courts.
According to our source," Senator Bassey Otu who expressed dismay over the embarrassing scenarios emanating from the faceoff in Calabar Municipality APC has warned appointees serving in his administration to desist from annexing local government revenue points for control of government funds accruing from such outlets or face outright termination of their appointment.
Senator Otu was quoted as warning that his government would not tolerate the overbearing tendencies of government functionaries who use their privileged position to circumvent due process or undermine established norms for self-aggrandizement.
Our source continued "The Governor also directed the immediate past Council Chairman now the Director General of the Cross Infrastructural Development Agency, Ndabo Effefiong Eke and his cohorts to withdraw every court case they instituted against the Calabar Multiple Council seeking to perpetuate their absolute control of choice revenue points even with zero remittance to Council's coffers.
"Another issue addressed by the Governor was the growing tension arising from the subtle campaigns by Nta Eke for a second term as Chairman bragging that he has been endorsed by the governor and the first lady.
"The Governor told everyone that he is a product of zoning and that he won't do anything to truncate the age-long rotational zoning formula in Calabar Municipality which has ensured peace, stability, and equity.
He asked the former Major to concentrate on his schedule as DG of the Infrastructure Development Agency and desist from dropping his name for his vaulted ambition" Critical stakeholders who confided in THE BEAGLES NEWS said the long silence of the governor on the internal wranglings in the Calabar Municipal APC gave the Nta-led faction the impetus to continue their impunity.
They wondered why Governor Otu gave the former Council boss such a lucrative appointment despite dragging both state and local government to court over the revenue tussle describing the governor's action as a tacit endorsement of Nta's unbridled effrontery.
Investigations by our team indicated that despite the ultimatum from Governor Bassey Otu, Nta Efeffiong and co still control the lucrative revenue outlets where they raked in millions of naira weekly while the Calabar Municipal Council internal revenue profile continues its downward slide due to the activities of the group.
