17 April 2020
Prince Goddy Jedy-Agba the Honourable Minister of State for Power in Nigeria's Federal Cabinet is in the news for the wrong reason this time around NEGROIDHAVEN has garnered.
The issues revolve around Jedy-Agba's alleged penchant for evasiveness especially from Cross Riverians, loathing of Cross Riverians, and his questionable forte in the power industry where he is junior minister even to the detriment of Cross Riverians, etc.
On his evasiveness, the whereabout of the the Dan Jarin Nupe was queried yesterday by a Nigerian public affairs analyst, Simon Utsu, who incidentally is from Obudu like Jedy-Agba. Utsu was forthright when he asked: 'Where is Dan Jarin Nupe at a critical time like this? Why should he be doing what he knows how to do best; hiding from his people even at a time like this? If he has vowed never to associate with his people, why then did he lobby so hard for the ministerial position???'
On his perceived loath against Cross Riverians, Utsu's enquiry was particular: 'I RELIABLY gathered (from one of those present) that about 50 Cross Riverians resident in Abuja, who were terribly affected and left stranded by Covid-19 induced hardship, in desperation, made their way to his Abuja residence to find succour. Guess what, not only did the (dis)honorable minister and arrogant billionaire turn them down after personally subjecting them to maximum hostility, he also got their spokesmen (two) arrested and thrown into a nearby police cell! Talk about a billionaire throwing his weight around the wrong way.
'My question once again is, why the loathing of Cross Riverians that he's representing in Abuja? The same Cross Riverians that he sought to govern in 2015? Does it suffices to say that as a state, we dodged a big bullet when former Governor Imoke edged him out of the gubernatorial race?'
Utsu would end his enquiries not until he had touched Jedy-Agba where it bothered on general capacity: 'And on to the more serious question of his stewardship so far, how has the state benefitted from his being power minister? Is there 24 hrs of electricity supply anywhere in even Otugwang, Obudu where he hails from?
'When Fashola was power minister, Bode Thomas (and its environs) in Surulere, Lagos where his country home is situated, enjoyed 24-7 electricity, can the same be said of Prince Jedy Agba's village? Or does he also lack all round capacity like I'm thinking?'
Utsu continued: 'A childhood friend who had just completed his PhD in Power Systems (transmission) from one of the best Universities in the UK reached out to me late last year with a solution that he wanted to offer to Nigeria -I went to the office of the minister in Abuja and spent close to 8 hours without having his audience (even though I noticed that a number of brazilian-hair wearing slay queens were being granted easy access). I was clearly told by his PA that there was no way I could be allowed in to see him even as he told me to hang around and try my luck.
'I did hang around but was discouraged when the minister eventually came into the main corridor; asides the permanent frown etched on his face, about half a dozen kaftan wearing bulky hausa dudes surrounded him. Well, I dont usually have energy to run around politicians; I wasn't there to get a favour from him but to do him a favour -by offering him a solution that was supposed to make his work easy. So I left the way I came.'
On the second charge of loathing, Jedy-Agba has denied influencing the locking up of any Cross Riverian. He explained that he was rather concerned about the large crowd gathering at his residence in respect of the ongoing social distancing policy against Covid-19. But one Maurice Ikora countered saying: 'Ogar Solomon Ogar Christmas and New year APC and Cross Riverians sighted nothing . Covid-19 here again nothing is still sighted. He whom much is given much is expected. Do we need to push them to the wall before they respond to citizens? Whom do(sic) we offend in CRS ?'
