Headlines
How We Spent N10bn Abia Airport Fund, Ikpeazu Opens Up
Immediate past governor of Abia State, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, has said that contrary to the allegation of his successor, Alex Otti, the N10 billion budgeted by his administration for the Abia Airport project was neither embezzled nor diverted.
Ikpeazu said the money was rechannelled into other projects following the approval of the State Executive Council (SEC), after traditional rulers in the state, told him to forget the project but focus on repairing major roads in the state.
According to him, traditional rulers had argued that the airports in Owerri in Imo State and Uyo in Akwa Ibom State made an Abia airport project unviable.
The former governor, who spoke through his then commissioner for information, Chief John Okiyi Kalu, asked Otti to stop playing to the gallery and tell Abians the truth with documents at his disposal.
Okiyi-Kalu gave a detailed account of the roads and contractors that received the N10 billion initially marked out for construction of an airport and listed about 18 projects that were done, in place of the airport.
According to his list: “China Zonghghao for Osisioma flyover Aba & ABSUTH Road Aba got N800,000,000. Trackcare Construction Company for Aba-Owerri Road Aba (Brass to Osisioma junction segment, Ururuka road Aba, Afor Ibeji/ Ubakala Umuahia, Stella Marris Catholic Church, etc got N1,035,000,000.
“Ferrotex Construction Company for Aba-Owerri Road (Railway Junction-Brass junction segment) Aba, Obohia Road Aba, Opobo Junction-Ukpakiri Ogbor-Hill Aba, Uratta Ugwuati, Itungwa, Rehabilitation of failed Ururuka got N1,500,000,000.
“Shannah Jardon Construction Company for Okigwe Road Aba, Milverton Road Aba, Cemetery-Eziukwu Road Aba got N450,000,000. Ecklean: Osusu road Aba-N 200 000,000, Cosmos Construction Company for Immaculate Avenue Umungasi Aba got N150,000,000 while Setraco/Hartland for Port-Harcourt Road got N1,000,000,000.”
Further details are “Rockwaters for Ohanku Road Aba, Okpu Umuobo Aba got N650,000,000, MOW for Ebenma Street Aba and Ovom street Aba got N1, 130,000,000. Zubbalco for MBUBO Umuakwu got N200,000,000.”
Other details showed that “Tunnel End Construction Company got N780,000,000 for the construction of Umuene-Obikabia, Umuojima-umuokiri- Ekeakpara, Umuakatawom-Eziama-Ohanze while Paceo Carretera company got – N312,000,000 for the construction of Agalaba Ring Road in Obingwa.”
From the same details, it showed that Delhope Construction Company got N557,000,000 for the construction of Umuobiakwa-Owo Road Obingwa, Federal Medical Centre internal road, Aba Road Umuahia (GG-Shoprite).
It was also gathered that MOW construction got N325,000,000 for the construction of Umuobiakwa internal roads, umuobiakwa (Gov) roads, Mbawsi internal roads and desilting of Aba big gutter while BOK construction got -N100,000,000 for the construction of Agbama Ring Road Umuahia.
„Crystalkleen Construction for York/Jubilee/Nicholas street Aba got N30,000,000, Pumeco Construction for Aba road (Uchenna/ShopRite) Umuahia, Zero portholes in Umuahia roads got N353, 000,000, while Yodel construction for Afrata road, Umuahia got N100,000,000.
„E&P for Trinity College Road Umuahia got N60,000,000 and Obitex Development Company Ltd for construction of Ohuhu road from Isiokata, diversion from the gully erosion at Isiokata to Umuawa Ohuhu to Nkwoegwu got N125,000,000.“
More details provided show that Smutedge Company got N200,000,000 for the rehabilitation of failed portions of Umuikaa-Umuenne, Pacon Company got N12,000,000 for completion of drains at
Ozuomba/Ohazu Road.
„MOW Company for Zero potholes (Aba) got N 100,000,000, Charbel Company for Government House got 400,000,00 and the State Ministry of Public Utilities got N100,000,000 for Streetlights.“
Okiyi-Kalu, who later served as a commissioner for trade and investment, said it was shocking that after a demand was made for the publication of the much-talked about audit, Otti and his media handlers rushed to a blogger to publish an indicting report against his former principal instead of the forensic audit report.
He admonished Otti to focus on governance and stop deceiving the people with “lies and fiction”.
Ikpeazu, who spoke against the background of a report that his government awarded a N10 billion contract for the construction of an airport in Abia without doing same, insisted that Otti was on clout- chasing and deceiving gullible people with the alleged forensic report he conducted on Abia finances.
In a statement made available to journalists yesterday, Ikpeazu said Otti was diverting attention from the quarterly reports of Abia State, which showed that his government had been reckless with funds.
Ikpeazu said, “Accounting for the N10 billion, no dime was diverted. Otti is diverting attention from his own quarterly report which captured him spending N3 billion on research and non-existent projects. Why is it that he is using the same Ferrotex contractor, who he accused of receiving N10 billion from us for major contracts today? What stopped him or his auditors from asking Ferrotex for explanations? We have decided to respond to him with evidence of jobs done. The time of truth has come.”
Providing an insight into the spending of the money, Okiyi-Kalu said since Otti became the governor of Abia State, Ferotex Construction Company has been awarded the Umuimo Road, Shalom Road and Umuode Road all in Aba.
“Currently, Ferotex Construction Company is equally handling 22.5 kilometres Isuikwuato-Abariba section of the 67.6 kilometres Umuahia-Uzuakoli-Abiriba-Ohafia Road, which is Otti‘s biggest road project in Abia State,” he said.
Okiyi-Kalu said the airport project issue first came to the Abia State Executive Council at a meeting on September 24, 2020.
He said based on the presentation made to the Exco, they approved the project and also approved the borrowing of N10 billion “from UBA Plc as an initial investment by the state with repayment charged to our FAAC account with the bank.
„You may wish to recall that during the period, the country was still struggling to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic with very low FAAC and IGR inflows across the states,“ he said.
Okiyi-Kalu said the current secretary to state government (SSG), who is an appointee of Otti, Prof Kenneth Kalu, can review and confirm his claim from Exco records in his custody.
„Shortly after we announced Exco‘s approval of the airport project, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu received in audience executives of Abia State Traditional Rulers Council then led by HRM Eze Joseph Nwabekee.
„On November 13, 2020, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu informed members of the State Executive Council about the details of his meeting with representatives of the traditional rulers in Abia State, who requested that we suspend the airport project and commit the funds earmarked for it to do more roads in the state, as we are surrounded by airports already but need to urgently improve internal roads that would give a further boost to the socio-economic activities of the state. Exco thereafter voted to approve the suspension and request to use the earmarked funds for road projects in the state.“
He said on November 17, 2020, Ikpeazu took to his official X (formerly Twitter) handle to inform Abia citizens that the airport project had been suspended.
Okiyi-Kalu said Ikpeazu must have informed the then commissioner for works, Elder Bob Ogu, of his intention to suspend the airport project in anticipation of Exco approval, hence the state Ministry of Works selected road projects in Abia 2020 budget for funding with the N10 billion and allocated resources to the contractors.
He, however, explained that the list containing the tranche payments was not exhaustive as those were the only ones in his personal Exco note that he kept during meetings.
He said that it is also true that other tranche payments were made from other sources, stressing that the Ministry of Works led by Elder Bob Ogu and the Ministry of Finance led by Dr Aham Uko back then, should be able to supply a more comprehensive list to what he was saying.
Source: Leadership Newspaper
Tension escalated at the Lagos State House of Assembly on Thursday as impeached Speaker Mudashiru Obasa made a dramatic return to reclaim his position.
Accompanied by heavily armed men, Obasa stormed the Assembly complex in a bold move that has thrown the State’s legislature into turmoil.
In a stunning turn of events, security details assigned to the substantive Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mojisola Meranda, were abruptly withdrawn on Thursday morning, clearing the path for Obasa’s controversial comeback.
Sources revealed that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) ordered the withdrawal of all security operatives attached to Meranda, leaving her exposed in the midst of an intensifying power struggle.
The Speaker’s Special Adviser on Information, Mr. Victor Ganzallo, expressed concern over the security vacuum created by the withdrawal of personnel.
“In the early hours of Thursday, we woke up to the startling news that all security details assigned to Madam Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, had been withdrawn.
This includes the police and DSS officers, leaving her exposed to threats amid the ongoing speakership crisis,” Ganzallo stated.
He further called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as the State’s Chief Security Officer, to intervene urgently to prevent a complete breakdown of law and order within the Assembly.
“The withdrawal of security personnel has left the Assembly naked and vulnerable at a critical time. Urgent action is needed to restore order,” he pleaded.
With the speakership battle taking a dramatic new turn, political watchers are keenly observing how the crisis will unfold in the coming days.
Pope Francis showed further improvement on Wednesday, the Vatican said, although it cautioned that “the prognosis remains reserved” for the 88-year-old fighting pneumonia.
“The clinical conditions of the Holy Father in the last 24 hours have shown a further, slight improvement,” said the Vatican in its nightly bulletin on the health of the pontiff, who has been in hospital since February 14.
“Although a slight improvement is being recorded, the prognosis remains reserved,” it said.
The Argentine pope was originally admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital with breathing difficulties and bronchitis, but his condition subsequently deteriorated, sparking widespread concern among Catholics.
Respiratory attacks he suffered at the weekend that required high levels of oxygen and blood transfusions have not been repeated, according to the Vatican, although he continues to receive oxygen and do breathing exercises.
On Wednesday, the Vatican said a CT scan performed Tuesday showed “normal progression of the pulmonary inflammatory condition” while blood tests on Wednesday confirmed the improvement.
It also said that a mild renal insufficiency detected at the weekend “had resolved.”
As Catholics across the globe pray for Francis, doctors have warned the path to recovery could be long, with the Jesuit pontiff likely staying in hospital beyond this week.
Despite his critical condition, the leader of the world’s nearly 1.4 billion Catholics has kept up with Church matters from his hospital suite, according to the Vatican.
Now on his 13th day in the hospital, the Pope Wednesday was “sitting in a chair, and continuing with the treatment as normal”, a Vatican source said.
The Vatican said he received the Eucharist in the morning and spent his afternoon working.The current hospitalisation is Francis’s fourth and longest.
The pope, who had part of one of his lungs removed as a young man, has suffered increasing health problems in recent years.
He is prone to bronchitis and suffers from hip and knee pain, which has made him reliant on a wheelchair.
Pilgrims and faithful have been flocking to the Vatican and the Gemelli to pray for Francis, with a fresh round of prayers held in St Peter’s Square later Wednesday evening.
US President, Donald Trump, has unveiled plans to sell new “gold card” residency permits for a price of $5 million each, saying Russian oligarchs may be eligible.
Trump said sales of the new visa, a high-price version of the traditional green card, would bring in job creators and could be used to reduce the US national deficit.
“We’re going to be selling a gold card. You have a green card, this is a gold card. We’re going to be putting a price on that card of about $5 million,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
The Republican president, who has made the deportation of millions of undocumented migrants a priority of his second term, said the new card would be a route to highly prized US citizenship.
“A lot of people are going to want to be in this country, and they’ll be able to work and provide jobs and build companies,” Trump said.
“It’ll be people with money.”Sales of the cards would start in about two weeks, Trump added.
“We’ll be able to sell maybe a million of these cards. We have it all worked out from a legal standpoint,” Trump added.
The billionaire former real estate tycoon said that all applicants for the new gold cards would be carefully vetted.
But asked if wealthy Russians would also be able to apply, Trump said it is a possibility.
“Possibly. I know some Russian oligarchs that are very nice people. It’s possible,” Trump said.
“They’re not as wealthy as they used to be. I think they can. I think they can afford $5 million.”
A number of Russian oligarchs have been hit by western sanctions since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
Trump has caused shock in European capitals by suddenly opening negotiations with Russia to end the war, amid fears that he could be willing to sell Ukraine short.
The US president told reporters that lifting sanctions on Russia was possible “at some point” but was not currently on the table.
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, standing at Trump’s side in the Oval Office, said of the gold cards that “we can use that money to reduce our deficit.”
Trump, who has branded a series of hotels and casinos in a long business career, even suggested the new cards could also be named after him.
“Somebody said, ‘Can we call it the Trump gold card?’ I said, ‘If it helps, use the name Trump,’” he said.
AFP
