Recycling State Treasury: Governor Ben Ayade awards mouth-watering contract to his Special Adviser Kingsley Dibang Ogar

Secret Reporters

Cross River State Government has once again soiled its hands in the illicit practice of awarding contracts to cronies, a practice some Nigerian politicians use to enrich their circle of friends, openly violating the country and states laws.

Documents obtained by Secret Reporters, have exposed how Cross Rivers state governor, Ben Ayade’s led administration awarded contract to a company his special adviser, Kingsley Dibang Ogar is an active shareholder and director, both violating the Public Procurement Law and the Code of Conduct Bureau.

Section 9 of the code of conduct for public officers involved with procurement states; “A Public Officer shall decline in serving in a procurement process if any of the Bidders or Service Providers engaged in the procurement proceedings is related to him by blood, marriage or grant relationship or where the success of a particular Bidder or Service Provider in the proceedings will confer a pecuniary or other advantage on him”.

Going through the Cross River State E-procurement portal, Secret Reporters found out that, the State Ministry of Health Headquarters, Michael Ani Secretariat, Calabar, on the 23rd of February 2021 awarded the contract for Procurement of Anti-Malaria Drugs for Children’s and Adult (ACTs 1-4, 1000 Injection Artesunate, 1000 Mrdt Kits and 10,000 Doses of SP to OCHUAP Boki Nigeria Limited. It was discovered that the Special Adviser to Ben Ayade on ICT, Kingsley Dibang Ogar, is a Director/Shareholder in the Company, the contract was worth the sum of N15, 532,000.00.

The Code of Conduct Bureau, which states; that “except where he is not employed on a full‐time basis, engage or participate in the management or running of any private business, profession or trade; but nothing in this paragraph shall prevent a public officer from engaging in farming or participating in the management or running of any farm”, was violated by Kingsley Dibang Ogar, by his position as Director/Shareholder of OCHUAP Boki Nigeria Limited and also the special adviser to governor Ben Ayade on ICT.

Meanwhile, a check on CAC shows that OCHUAP Boki Nigeria Limited is not active.