Supreme Court Verdict: How Over 100 Million Was Spent On Celebrations

By CrossRiverWatch Admin

The cost for the celebration of the verdict of the Supreme Court over a pre election matter of perjury against Cross River Governor, Senator Ben Ayade which affirmed him as Governor may have been in excess of NGN100 million findings by CrossRiverWatch reveal.

Not less than NGN7million was said to have been spent in Abuja on December 9-10, 2016.

On his return to the state ten days later, the Governor approved sums ranging from between NGN300,000 to over NGN1million for different categories of appointees, groups and organisations to mobilize people to give him a befitting welcome which his media aides had christened “Triumphant entry” on several social media platforms.

Every Commissioner was given NGN1million to mobilize which totals NGN28million. Sources say the Secretary to the State Government received a higher figure but this information could not be confirmed as at press time.

A Commissioner  who spoke with this reporter under anonymity affirmed this and quickly added; “The money was not enough even though I did not spend the entire sum.”

Special Assistants reportedly received NGN300,000 each while some Special Advisers and Heads of Parastatals received between NGN300,000 and NGN800,000.

Governor Ayade has no fewer than 60 Special Advisers and over 70 Special Assistants though a few were said not to have received a dime.

Allegations are rife that some Commissioners collected the money meant for some Special Assistants and deducted a percentage before handing it over.

The Deputy Governor was in charge of the disbursement with some appointees fingering his staff of carrying out some deductions with a Special Adviser almost falling out with him for querying why he was only given NGN300,000 when he needed almost a million to effectively mobilize people.

Despite these efforts, further investigations reveal that no appointee mobilized up to 100 persons as most of those in the stadium were from different organisations including market women, auto technicians, tribal groups, student unions, trade unions among others who came on their own.

An aide in charge of Youths was said to have brought in about fifty people and claimed he had over a thousand and had spent about NGN600,000 on “logistics” alone.

But, those who came were said to have left for home with between NGN500 and NGN3000 only according to findings by CrossRiverWatch.