by crossriverwatch admin
The Hope Democratic Party HDP, in Cross River State has demanded an explanation from the Governor of the State, Senator Liyel Imoke over the whereabouts and management of an aircraft that the state allegedly purchased from the Rivers State Government in 2009.
In a statement signed by the party’s governorship candidate in the last governorship election, Dr. Theo Onyuku, the party also called on the governor to explain the rationale behind the construction of an international conference centre and access road to link the Tinapa resort, a project that has been dubbed: “Tinapa Phase Two”.
The party in the statement wondered why the Tinapa project which has become a source of controversy and huge debts and a reason why the Apex bank directed all commercial banks to stop advancing loans to Cross River State will still gulp hundreds of millions in the construction of a phase two.
It said “In 2009, the CRSG purchased a needless, pointless aircraft from Rivers State at the whooping cost of N2BILLION when the issue of loss of 76 oil wells became public. The CRSG told the people that the aircraft will be used by a viable commercial airline to generate funds for the state and will also routinely fly the so called tourists from Calabar to Obudu Ranch. Since then, the aircraft where about is unknown and the aircraft is said to have disappeared”.
“We ask the CRSG the following questions:
“Where is the N2BILLION aircraft purchased with public funds? How much has the aircraft generated since it began operations? Who is in control of this aircraft?
“The CRSG must address these pertinent issues immediately. The CRS people demand unambiguous answers to these important questions”.
“The CRSG must address the people on the current status of the world class project titled: The 5000 capacity International Convention Centre and a state of the art hospital. These projects will link the Tinapa Business Resort and shorten the access time to the wasteful, prodigious, profligate white elephant investment The Tinapa Resort. The CRS people must know how their scarce resources are spent”.
“The CRSG must account for the deployment of public funds without budgetary provision which in a clime with flourishing democratic norms, the CRS Governor would have been served an impeachment notice. We submit that Senator Imoke’s procurement of the meaningless aircraft without budgetary provision was an impeachable offence and if we had a CRSHA with courage and good biceps, the Governor would have been removed from office for blatant violation of the constitution”