Inyali Peter|8 October 2016
Few days ago, I did an article with the headline " Ayade's Greed : C'River Set to Lose $30 Million World Bank CADP Investment". I deliberately refused to publish the article in traditional media for some obvious reasons.
In the article, I stated that the state is set to lose the $30 million investment because of the governor's refusal to approve list of successful candidates for training as some of his preferred candidates who are mostly his family members didn't make the screening.
But yesterday, a friend drew my attention to the reaction of the State government and the CADP state Project Coordinator, Mr. Ducham Amah which was published my Thisday and other online and print Newspapers.
In the reaction, the government and Amah jointly said that what the state got was $26.5 million not $30 million for the five years investment scheme. They may be right because during my investigation into the activities of the CADP, I was unable to get reliable information on the exact amount accrued to the state. So I decided to divide the $150 million value of the project in Nigeria by five states benefiting from the investment which I arrived at the $30 million.
Also, Amah said that the governor released the list two months ago but they are waiting for the release of funds from the world bank to commence training.
The report equally detailed that they candidates will be trained in Songhai farms and that the $26.5 million given to the state has been used therefore if world bank release funds for the training of the next and last batch in the current agreement, there will be nothing to take back as I stated in my report.
The explanation to the best of my knowledge can be best described as half truth. If the State Coordinator is not in connivance with the government to syphon the money, he should answer the following questions:
1. Why has it taken longer than before to publish list of successful candidates?
2. As stated in the report, why did they send the list to the state house of assembly for input after the screening?
3. How would they train candidates in the Songhai farms that is currently moribund?
4. Is every value chain trained in Songhai farms?
5. How many Cross Riverians have benefitted from the program so far since it inception and where are their businesses?
6. We're in October, two months to the expiration of the current deal, what is the management and the state government doing to renew the deal?
7. How can they (Government and CADP Management) convince us that the process and funds will be released within the two months duration of the program?
Let me stop here for now pending when the government and Amah will react again. But they must know that I'll investigate everything about CADP investment in Cross River to a logical conclusion.
Inyali Peter
Writes from Calabar
