By: Florence Kanu, Calabar
The State Government has thrown more light on the controversy arising during from the commissioning of some NDDC projects by the Niger Delta Development Commission.
Briefing newsmen recently at the Ernest Etim Bassey press centre,the State Government said the project in question at Nyanghasang was not executed by Niger Delta Development Commission but rather false allegation levelled against the Government.
These views were made by the Commissioner for Works and infrastructure Mr. Pius Ankpo Edet during the briefing.
According to him, “the briefing was to put our records straight, adding “Nyanghasang road, is a project initiated by the state government prior to the emergence of Senator Prince Bassey Otu whose contract was on before now and had a contractor called, Escor whom the contract was awarded to”.
The contract was awarded to a Cross riverian still alive, Sir. William Archibong, and by 2024 the state government needed to have revalidated the contract.
According to Edet “we had to call Sir Archibong although government was owing him huge amount of money, government had to pay the outstanding debt in December, 2024 and that gave the strength to re-award it to another company still working on the site till date”.
The Commissioner added that the State Government was surprised to hear that NDDC went to the site to commission a project they never awarded.
Ankpo emphasized that all the project drainages and culvert on the road were done by the State Government while still on the work NDDC hijacked the project and did commissioning, while Cross River State Government was still implementing the project.
He reiterated that the Ministry is open to other agency of Government both state and Federal to partner, and recalled that after assumption of office he wrote to NDDC for partnership and synergy and that whatsoever was done was misleading and should not be taken serious. This is capable to create disunity in a state that the governor is trying to rebuild.
Speaking earlier, the Commissioner and state Representative on the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission Rt. Hon. Orok Otu Duke said “If there is anybody that will question whatever anybody imagine had happen should be him, am only here to reiterate Nyanghasang project does not belong to anybody and nobody can counter that. If you have bring your vouchers and letters am quite aware of the crisis when the community descended to Access Schools, sent the children away because the road was blocked from Nyanghasang through Access for construction.
“In 1989, Bassey Ekpo Bassey opened Nyanghasang and established the first primary school named after him Etubom Bassey Ekpo Bassey.”
Duke stated that the State Government and NDDC for the past 25 years, first 20 years lost 25 trillion Naira to Sandra Contractor because Cross River state never got into NDDC, it was only contractors from Owerri and Delta that got 30% mobilization hence so many abandoned projects in the state.
He frowned at some federal law makers who take on due advantage to hijack state project and described such act as a strategy to siphon public fund.
According to him, all NDDC projects are captured and documented for, and insisted that as representative from the state he should be worried about projects coming in the central and north and stressed that of recent they insist on site handover devoid of politics.
Otu emphasized that he has the budget of Cross River State expiring on June 30th and 663 projects approved and managed to get 40% for Cross River while the 80% and 20% was done and commissioned.
He re-echoed that “it was not in our name rather for NDDC name if you want to end any project proofs should be shown with vouchers and approval letters should also be shown under due process.
The NDDC Commissioner called for a united front to support Governor Prince Bassey Edet Otu to execute his mandate to Cross Riverians..
