Secret Reporters No place to hide
Secrets Reporters
Nine months after the groundbreaking ceremony, 6 months after funds were received and 2 months after handing over, all that can be seen at the NSCDC Akwa Ibom State Command permanent site is a fence that a 5 year old can easily climb. And voila, over 30 million Naira is gone.
This is the state of the permanent headquarters building of NSCDC Akwa Ibom State Command located along Samson Udo Idiong Drive in Atan Offot Community. The groundbreaking and fundraising for the building of the complex was done on the 1st of March 2024 and graced by his Excellency, the executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno who donated the sum of 20 million Naira to support the project as well as donated the land for the project.
The event saw many other notable sons of Akwa Ibom and Nigerians from different walks of life make donations openly and many others opting to maintain modesty in their donations.
Investigative checks with the State government revealed that the Governor made good his pledge of 20 million Naira as far back as May 2024; same with the chairman of the occasion, Engr. Uwem Okoko of HENSEK, who made good his pledge of 5 million Naira earlier. We also have it on good authority that the chief launcher of the event, Elder Ubong Obot of UBOTEX made modest contribution to the project as did many other well wishers and friends of the agency that is known for topnotch professional security services.
Not only were these donations unaccounted for, it is believed that these monies were embezzled by the immediate past NSCDC helmsman, Engr. Eluyemi Eluwade. Known by his lieutenants as ‘Mr chop alone’, the Commandant is accused to have ran a one man show where he reached out to notable persons in the state to support the building of a permanent headquarters for Akwa Ibom State; a feigned altruistic narrative he always gave, but borne out of greed and avarice. Some have alleged that he could have received more than 50 million naira donation to support the project, especially since the agency is highly loved by its stakeholders, many of whom always gave positive remarks about the corps. Insinuations like these would have been unnecessary had the NSCDC honcho embraced accountability and transparency.
Rather than constitute a building committee and saddle them with the responsibility of coordinating the building and receiving support for the laudable project, Mr Eluyemi Eluwade ran the show like a personal business alongside his CSO and man Friday, Mr Mike Asibor. Mr Asibor is believed to be his anchor person helping launder and clean up whatever mess he left, as they continue to downplay the fact that public money was received and must be accounted for. Further checks revealed that he did not even hand over the project to is successor.
Expert assessment of the site and the level of work done two months after he handed over as the state Commandant indicate that less than 40% of the amount in question (30 million naira), has been expended. This is corruption, stealing and abuse of office. The fact that these monies were donated means that they have to be duly accounted for and appropriate offices including the Commandant General of NSCDC, EFCC and the State Governor should take necessary steps to correct this anomaly by recovering every Kobo stolen by the former Commandant.
Questions sent to Mr Eluwade’s phone number and that of the PRO, Mr Friday Ekerete to confirm how much was realized in total from the groundbreaking ceremony and how the monies were spent were not responded to as at press time.
State Government Complicity
While Commandant Eluwade Eluyemi should be made to account for every penny he received openly and quizzed to declare every other money he received secretly with regards to the building project, one cannot but wonder what Akwa Ibom State government wanted the agency to achieve with a mere 20 million naira. A foundation, perimeter fence or a borehole?
For an agency that complements the police very well in internal security; maintaining a peaceful status which Akwa Ibom State is known for, and one that has safeguarded the pipelines and facilities of oil and gas multinationals in the state so much that it ranks low in oil theft and bunkering activities, one would expect that the government will do more to support their operations, rather than the pittance it dashed out to the commander, which he literarily embezzled since it can barely complete the foundation of a permanent headquarters of a para-military agency.
