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N10billion Abia airport fund: Otti’s lies, my story – Ikpeazu
“On the 13th of November 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.”
These were the exact words from the camp of Okezie Ikpeazu, on Monday, on a day the former governor once again joined issues with Alex Otti, his successor, while giving a detailed explanation to the whereabouts of the N10billion earmarked for the Abia Airport Project, which the governor had accused him of pocketing.
Waiving off the claims of diverting the said fund, the former governor, who admonished Otti, to focus on governance and stop deceiving the people with lies and fiction, stated that the tales about missing money and forensic report, were nothing more than clout-chasing, which would do nobody any good.
In fact, Ikpeazu, who insisted that no dime was missing from the state coffers during his period in office, maintained that on the contrary, if there was any question to answer, the governor should be the one to do so, adding that he (Otti) was merely diverting attention from the quarterly reports of the state, which exposed his government as being reckless with funds.
His words: “Accounting for the N10billion, no dime was diverted. Otti is diverting attention from his own quarterly report which captured him spending N3billion on research and nonexistent projects. Why is it that he is using the same Ferrotex contractor, who he accused of receiving N10billion 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.”
Echoing Ikpeazu’s position, John Okiyi Kalu, former Commissioner for Information, who also took on the governor, urged him to stop playing to the gallery and tell people the truth with documents at his disposal.
Giving detailed explanation as an insider, he explained that the N10billion originally budgeted for the airport project was rechanneled into other projects, following the approval of the Executive Council, after traditional rulers in the state told Ikpeazu to forget an airport project but focus on repairing major roads in the state.
Adding that the royal fathers had argued that the airports in Owerri and Uyo made an Abia airport project unviable, Okiyi-Kalu, who later served as a Commissioner for Trade and Investment, regretted that 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 help them publish an indicting report against his former principal instead of the forensic audit report.
He revealed how the governor, had continued to award contracts to the same Ferotex Construction Company since coming into office, adding that apart from the Umuimo Road, Shalom Road and Umuode Road all in Aba, the company was also handing the 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.
Giving further details, he said the airport project issue first came to the Abia State Executive Council at a meeting on September 24, 2020, adding that based on the presentation made to the Exco, the members approved the project and also approved the borrowing of N10billion 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. The current Secretary to State Government, 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 17, 2020, Governor Ikpeazu took to his official X (formerly Twitter) handle to inform Abia Citizens that the airport project had been suspended.
Based on the turn of events, Bob Ogu, then Commissioner for works, on the prompting of Ikpeazu in anticipation of exco approval, selected road projects in Abia 2020 budget for funding with the N10 billion hitherto earmarked for the airport and allocated resources to the contractors, the former government spokesman said, adding that in all, the money was eventually sunk into 18 different projects.
He listed the projects to include: “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.”
“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. 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.
“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). 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.
“Smutedge Company got N200,000,000 for the rehabilitation of failed portions of Umuikaa-umuenne, Pacon Company got N12,000,000.00 for completion of drains at Ozuomba/Ohazu road. MOW company for Zero pot holes(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.”
Explaining however 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 and the Ministry of Finance which had Aham Uko as commissioner, should be able to supply a more comprehensive list to what he was saying.
Okiyi-Kalu, who further revealed that Ferotex Construction Company, as one of the reputable indigenous construction companies with anti-graft agencies’ clearance was selected by the Ikpeazu administration as lead company in the “contractor financier” arrangements with UBA, added that the above-mentioned arrangement, the “contractor financier” arrangement was not alien within the public sector, stressing that a similar arrangement was entered into by the Otti’s government with Craneburg Construction Company for N50bn facility earmarked for “various roads.”
He said that such lead companies were more or less consultants that would receive the bulk amount and pay other road contractors as banks would not likely agree to enter into multiple agreements with all the contractors.
Dismissing Otti’s claim that he got the top three audit firms in the world to do the forensic audit as untrue, given that nothing showed that the said firms followed the money as expected of them he maintained that a serious audit investigation would simply seek to establish if the allocated funds got to the companies and also if the contractors did the work.
His words “Those who claim that there was need for “virement” may be speaking out of ignorance in this case. The road projects were already in our approved 2020 budget, hence no need for further house approval. All state revenues are expected to be used to fund state budget and from the time we had approval to spend on the roads instead of Airport there is, no further need for legislative approval.
“For the further education of those who verbalize terms they do not understand, “virement” is the process of transferring items from one financial account to another. In this case, the airport project and the road projects must both be in the 2020 budget before you can execute virement.”
For the first time in six years, Nigeria has recorded a crude oil and condensate production increase of an average of 1,735,398 barrels per day in June 2026, after posting consecutive four-month growth.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), which made the announcement on Sunday, also indicated that the also met its production quota set by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Against the backdrop of scenarios, where oil theft and other shortcomings in the industry, which seemed peculiar had previously hampered crude production, which at a point dipped to as low as 700,000bpd, the agency through Eniola Akinkuotu, its spokesman, stated that in June, crude oil production hit 1.56mbpd while 0.18mbpd of condensates was produced, meaning the figure exceeded the OPEC quota of 1.5 mbpd by four per cent.
In strict crude oil terms (excluding condensates), the 1.56 million daily average production Nigeria witnessed in June is the highest that Africa’s biggest oil producer has recorded since April 2020, thus representing a 74-month high, the statement added.
Stressing the feat, the agency said in June, the peak combined crude oil and condensate production was 1.89mbpd, reflecting Nigeria’s potential to reach two million barrels per day in the near term, but however, the lowest production was 1.57mbpd for the period in review.
The NUPRC, while also stating that the improved performance was primarily driven by stable production operations across most producing assets, said the absence of any major pipeline outages during the period under review, resulting in enhanced operational stability supported improved production uptime and crude evacuation efficiency.
If a marching order by President Bola Tinubu, is achieved, every Nigerian would be captured in in the national identity database before the end of 2026, going by the signals coming from the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
Abisoye Coker-Odusote, Director General and Chief Executive Officer, who gave the out the information, said the President, the directive formed part of the Federal Government’s efforts to establish a comprehensive national identity system capable of supporting effective governance, planning, and service delivery.
A guest on Sunday Politics, a public affairs programme on Channels Television, the NIMC boss, told her host: “The President has given us till the end of this year to make sure that we capture every single Nigerian.
“What we have done is we have partnered through the World Bank ID4D project with front-end partners. They are part of the digital identity ecosystem. These are private citizens that we’ve enabled and given jobs to enrol citizens on our behalf.”
Stressing that the mandate of the agency, she explained that the National Identification Number (NIN) remained a unique identifier, ensuring that every individual is registered only once, stating that presently, Nigeria’s actual population remains uncertain, with estimates ranging from 200 million to 250 million, making a comprehensive identity database essential for national planning.
She said: “That’s why it’s called a unique identifier, so that you’re only enrolled once. It is estimated that we’re 200 million. When we’re done enrolling, we will then know the actual numbers that we have. Some estimates say 230 million, while a few people say 250 million.
“Your identity is basically the foundation for effective governance and service delivery. How can you plan if you don’t know the total number of persons that you have? We have been mandated by Mr President to go down to the community levels to enrol every single Nigerian.”
Dismissing the possibility of double registration under different guises, she said the NIMC boss said the commission’s biometric verification system prevents such occurrences, adding that while the previous system could accept duplicate enrolments before detecting them later, the current process automatically identified and invalidated multiple registrations.
“The legacy system had no way of verifying at the front end whether you had already been captured. Once the record comes into the system, it flags it as a duplicate or that the person already exists in the database.
“You would only have one identity generated for you. The other record goes into a deduplication bucket where it is invalidated. One of the things that this Act has done is to cement our role in capturing biometrics. Private and public sector organisations will no longer capture biometrics independently. They will validate identities through API integration with NIMC.
“The telcos are already doing that with us. If you need a SIM card, they capture your facial biometrics, which are matched against our database in real time to confirm that you are who you claim to be. We’re using biometric validation to tighten security around identity confirmation.”
“Exceptional individuals like Professor Soyinka do not come often in a generation, men who illuminate the paths for humanity to follow across diverse endeavours, who are not afraid to go against convention, and who do not let the man die in the face of oppression and injustice.”
These were the words of President Bola Tinubu, with which he rolled out the red carpets at the Presidential Villa Abuja, to celebrate Wole Soyinka as “a gift we will always treasure” as the renowned playwright, author and activist turned 92 on Monday.
In the emotion-dripping tribute, conveyed through a the State House on Sunday, the President spoke of Soyinka’s contributions to literature, democracy and good governance, describing him as one of Nigeria’s most influential public figures.
Praising the nonagenarian for showcasing courage and commitment to justice, Tinubu said: “Today, I celebrate a global icon and our nation’s literary star, Professor Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka, on his 92nd birthday, July 13.”
The President recalled Soyinka’s achievements, including becoming the first African to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986, and also reflected on Soyinka’s role in Nigeria’s democratic struggle, reminiscing on Professor Soyinka’s “valiant struggle against military dictatorship for decades, and his efforts in the June 12 struggle, for which we were both in the trenches.”
Describing the literary icon as a national treasure, Tinubu said: “Today, I salute one of our nation’s living repositories of history, knowledge, and courage. That he is with us is a gift we will always treasure. I thank him for his undying faith in the Nigerian project and wise counsel.”
The President said he joined people around the world in celebrating Soyinka’s influence on generations of writers, scholars and activists, adding: “I wish ‘Kongi’ many more years in excellent health.”
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