Mr. Goddy Akpama is Special Adviser to the governor of Cross River State on Intelligence Matters. He speaks on the outcome of the investigation into the controversial sale of two unserviceable Matrac Caterpillar Power generators donated to Ugep community by the immediate past administration of Prof Ben Ayade for the illumination of the streets of Ugep, especially during Leboku International Cultural Festival. At the centre of the controversy are the Nigeria Police, community leaders, a member of the Cross River State House of Assembly, the Cross River Power Ministry and two business tycoons now struggling to claim ownership of the generators. CompassNG brings you excerpts of that interview:
Can you give an insight into the controversy involving the sale of two generating sets and accessories in Ugep to a Lagos businessman?
I got a petition from a particular businessman informing me of how he was being maltreated by certain individuals in Cross River State over certain business transaction which he did in the state. After going through the petition, I sought audience with my principal, the state governor on the subject matter. After discussing with my principal, the circumstance of the matter, and the issue being in court, I requested the governor’s permission to investigate the whole issue to save the face of the state. My request was granted by His Excellency.
As I went into the matter, digging deep to unravel all the circumstances surrounding the controversy, I realised that one Martins Asuquo, an indigene of Akpabuyo Local Government area of Cross River State, is involved and standing trial over this case, which was like a multiple issue, he was the only one put on trial after two persons were named as suspects in the police report from Zone 6 Headquarters Calabar.
During my findings at the Zone 6, Police Command, I discovered that the said man who had written a petition to me, negotiated and bought two units generators and accessories from the DG Scrap Agency, one Mr Martins Asuquo, during the immediate past administration of Prof. Ben Ayade in April 2023. When I looked at the laws of the agency, that law gives the DG the power to negotiate sales under section 2 (C) of the Cross River State Scrap Regulatory Law 2017. The DG has power to regulate the collection and sales of scraps in the state, after proper consultation with relevant stakeholders.
I then proceeded to the Federal High Court where I got some documents of the police reports on that matter. From the police report, Asuquo was a suspect, as he was accused of illegal sales of government properties without due process, and issues of him not being a DG of that agency as he claimed.
The police thereafter wrote to the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, to find out if Asuquo actually served as a DG of the said agency during the Prof Ben Ayade’s administration. It was confirmed that he actually served the administration as DG scrap agency and that he had once handled such issue in his capacity as the DG of Scraps Metal Agency and represented the government in April 2023.
In the course of my findings, I also stumbled on documents of correspondence where discussions and understanding were made between Mr Asuquo as DG and the Obol Lopon of Ugep and paramount ruler of Yakurr, who subsequently wrote to the Police in one of the correspondence, to allow the petitioner (Mr. Adetunji), a businessman from Lagos State, who first met the condition meted out for sale of the scrap generators to be allowed to evacuate the scrap generators and accessories from the community.
In the process of trying to evacuate the generators, since the agreement/understanding /payment for the power generators was done by instalment, the Ben Ayade’s tenure elapsed.
Part of the conditions given to the Lagos State-based business man by the Obol Opon of Ugep and the elders in council was that he should make available 200 solar lights electric poles otherwise they won’t allow him to evacuate the scrap generators.
In a process, the Lagos State-based business man spent N57 million to include the poles and solar power lights. In the course of their transaction, the member of the state Assembly representing Yakurr state constituency 1, getting a wind of the transaction, jumped into the fray and threatened that he must be given N20 million or the transaction won’t work, and was incidentally given N15 million as stated in the police report, while on the other hand Mr Asuquo gave him N4 million, making N19 million from the transaction.
When the petitioner felt he had finished the entire transaction, meeting the various demands/ conditions, he sent his agents to Ugep community to convey the scrap generators to Lagos where he resides, incidentally his agents were arrested by the Police on the orders of Hon Cyril J. Omini, the CRSHA member.
These two industrial generators purchased by former Governor Ayade for over N300 million for the Yakurr people of the state were sold in total cost for N57 million to the first buyer (the petitioner) because they were unserviceable and identified as scrap due to lack of maintenance.
Upon hearing that his agents had been whisked away and locked up by the police for days, the petitioner and first buyer of the scrap generators (Mr Adetunji) discovered that the generators were moved to Calabar, he stormed the state to intercede for his agents. In the course of trying to release his agents from the police net, the state House of Assembly member and the state Commissioner for Power and Renewable Energy, Prince Eka Williams, showed up with a letter dated 5th December 2024, that was issued to a Calabar-based business man, one Mr. Peterson, they claimed that the state governor, His Excellency, Prince Bassey Otu had directed that the generators be lifted to Calabar.
To my greatest chagrin, Mr. Peterson, a man who from my findings was the one who originally supplied the generators to the state during the Prof. Ayade administration some years ago was also the same person who has come for the power generators again.
I later approached the state Assembly man, to find out why his name is involved in these generators matter. The lawmaker told me that the matter had already been settled and that the governor called him personally to go to Ugep because some people want to steal the Ugep generators. And that the whole issue about the power generators had been handed over to the Commissioner for Power. I thereafter called the power commissioner to find out what was happening. He told me that Asuquo sold agovernment properties illegally. It became apparent that something sinister was happening somewhere.
The lawmaker was thereafter invited by the police and was later released. What I did not understand is that upon retrieval of the power generators from the police by the state Commissioner for Power, he moved the power generators to Mr. Peterson’s estate at Amika Utuk street in Calabar, and Asuquo was charged to court and the lawmaker set free, notwithstanding the fact that both of them were involved in the controversy as stated in the Police report.
And I told myself, ‘why will the Police act in such manner, arraign Martins alone in an issue that so many people were involved and they choose to charge only Asuquo to court?
On a deep reflection about the correspondences between Asuquo and Obol Opon of Yakurr and his council, as Asuquo was the director general of the Scrap Metal Agency, the conditions attached to that transaction, Asuquo met the conditions. I am shocked that the Commissioner for Power and the lawmaker obstructed the petitioner and halted him from evacuating his property out from Ugep community.
Now with your findings, what is your comment?
It was not as if Martins did this transaction when he had left government. No! The transaction was done when he was in government during Ayade’s administration and the Lagos-based business man showed up to evacuate his property. They finished the negotiations/agreement before that administration wind down; the man only came to evacuate what he paid for. After Obol Opon and his council had even written to the police to allow the man evacuate his property, only to be blocked by the power commissioner and lawmaker for Yakurr state constituency 1.
Again, in the course of my investigation, I wrote a letter to the power ministry and demanded to know the details of the Ugep generators. From the letters that were sighted, the transaction took place in April 2023, with Asuquo as the DG.
Government, like we all know, is continuum. Secondly, those generators were given to the Ugep people by former governor just like what Prince Otu is giving today to people, does not mean you will come to retrieve these gift, items tomorrow when he leaves office as governor.
The power commissioner, in his wisdom wrote a letter to the governor and alerted him of his ministry’s intention to move the power generators from Ugep and Ogoja for purpose of replacing them with solar lights.
From what I sighted the letter was written on April 30, 2024 and approved by the governor on April 6, 2024. They wrote the letter on 30, and got approval on April 6, and I suspected something funny.
From what I sighted, Governor Otu gave them approval even before the letter was written on April 30th.
Can you show us copy of that petition?
Yes, here it is.
