Date Published: 07/03/09

Why Ex-Minister John Udoedeghe was sacked!

…Accused of N768 million fraud

…It is a lie -Minister  

EFCC Chairman, Farida Waziri

When President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua decided to offload dead woods in his cabinet last year, speculations were rift as to who and who were to go. One name that kept on reoccurring like a septic ulcer was that of Akwa Ibom born former Senator and then Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory, Mr. John Udoedeghe. The highly loquacious former senator whose story is one of grass to grace is believed to have been penciled down for sack right from his first month in office, following some security reports compiled on him by one of the country’s security agencies.

According to a highly placed source in the Presidency, one of the security reports was not only pejorative but could cause embarrassment to the country. There was another that was bordered on fraud of over N768m, which was reportedly meant for the beautification project of some parts of Abuja Metropolis. The said project was put under the supervision of Udoedehe and even after his shameful exit from the cabinet; he was unable to account for the money.

On why the former junior minister was never prosecuted by the EFCC, the source said investigation had shown that he may have compromised the former boss of the anti-graft agency. In fact, the alleged poor handling of Udoedehe’s alleged fraud case was what put Ribadu in trouble with President Yar’Adua, who reportedly insisted that nobody should be spared in his fight to enthrone the rule of law in the polity.

But spokesman for the former Minister, Mr. Don Awasaam Bassey described the allegations as “baseless and lacking in substance, insisting that the former Minister had no financial control of the FCT’s Ministry’s budget.

He said the Minister worked in the most hostile environment and could not have had any dealings with contracts or any fraud to the tune of N768 Million.

Also the former minister who graduated from University of Uyo and later became the Chairman of Uyo local government council is said to have from his inauguration as a minister of state for FCT engaged his principal, Senator Aliyu Modibo in a running battle of ego tripping to the extent that work in the FCT was at a standstill.

According to Aliero Yakubu, a former youth corps member who served in the ministry of Federal Capital Territory, the former minister obviously did not understand that his office was that of a junior minister and as such he saw himself as an equal to the substantive minister. This led to serious clashes between the well mannered Modibo and the coarse Udoedghe, the most embarrassing was the day Udoedeghe stormed his principal’s office and challenged him to a wrestle duel. According to our source, it was the most embarrassing scene to behold as Udoedeghe threw caution to the wind and in the full glare of visitors at the minister’s ante room boasted that the former minister was not fit to boss him; that the minister did not have a quarter of the wealth, he (Udoedeghe) has and as such shouldn’t delegate responsibilities to him. In what has been described by many who witnessed it as a show of shame, Mr. Udoedghe is alleged to have held Modibo on his flowing gown and when he did not succeed in engaging the gentleman in a fisticuffs, he was said to have vented his anger on the furniture in the former minister’s office, this led to Modibo summoning security personnel who had to bundle Udoedeghe out of his Modibo’s office like a pest. It was at this point, to avoid Udoedehe’s antics of blackmail and intimidation that the then FCT Minister reportedly handed him the beatification job that never saw the light of day; yet the money allocated and released to Udoedehe can not be traced up till today.

Apart from the frosty relationship between Udoedeghe and his former principal, another issue that cost him his juicy job was the charges of corruption hanging on his head. An experienced former boss of local government council which former President Obasanjo described as looting centers; Udoedghe is alleged to have looted the treasury of Uyo local government council and extended same to the Ministry of Federal Capital Territory. According to report, all the funds that were made available to him as a junior minister could not be accounted for and when the government came up the issue of verification of certificate of occupancy of those who acquired land illegally in the FCT, Udoedeghe made millions of naira and even dollar using his office to protect these set of people.

He also surreptitiously acquired seized land in the FCT in connivance with some staff of the federal capital development authority even when the federal executive council was seriously against such action. He was also believed to have collected money from some members of the national assembly and highly placed Nigerians with promise of providing them with juicy plots of land in Abuja, a scam that failed woefully.

According to a local tabloid, Productive Events, Udoedeghe had been scheming to be a governor even as a minister of state, a plot Udoedeghe at different forum had denied. He even called a press conference to debunk the allegations but his action so far has proven the tabloid right.

To many who know Udoedeghe, such attitude has become a part of him right from his days in the motor park. He is alleged to use his position as chairman of Uyo local government area to enrich himself at the detriment of the entire council. This is believed to have had a lot of negative effect on the area council. According to a prominent chief in Uyo senatorial district who declined to be named, that Udoedeghe represented the senatorial district between 1999 and 2004 is a miracle that only God can explain. The only reason mortals can give is that Nigerians were tired of military intervention on one hand yet, they did not believe that the Abdulsalami Abubakar led transition was a reality so they had to adopt the Bola Ige described siddon and look posture and this gave someone of like Udoedeghe the license to represent one of the most enlightened senatorial districts in Akwa Ibom State. An opportunity he allegedly bungled.

According to reports, through out his four years at the national assembly, he did not make any meaningful contribution; rather he lined his pockets with public funds and even truncketed Obong Attah’s resource control struggle. This according to our source was why Attah worked acidulously against his return to the senate. Udoedeghe in the thick of the resource control debate at the senate is believed to be the only senator from the Niger-Delta region who openly aligned himself with President Olusegun Obasanjo then. His calculation being that if he supports Obasanjo, the president who was the be all and end all of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) then he will snatch the party’s governorship ticket from Attah and hand it over to him, forgetting that Obasanjo is an old wily fox who will outsmart the smartest of men not to talk of a person of Udoedeghe’s caliber. Being a greedy person, he was blind with lust for power and when Obasanjo dumped him in the trash can, a vindictive Attah ensured that Udoedghe was sent home on premature retirement.

Through out the remaining four years of Attah’s reign, Udoedghe remained in political limbo. However with the 2007 general election approaching, Udoedeghe re-launched himself into political relevance by flirting with Attah’s ambition to foist his son-in-law on the people of the state as governor. Barely weeks into the party’s primary in Uyo, Udoedeghe is alleged to have once again betrayed Attah by dumping him and making away with over N186million of campaign sum. The fair weather former senator pitched his tent with the most popular candidate in the race then, Obong Godswill Akpabio who later emerged as governor. To settle him, Akpabio is believed to have nominated him as the state’s nominee for ministerial appointment, an action that many people, including youths from the ex-senator’s senatorial district kicked against. Akpabio is believed to have regretted his action today as Udoedeghe did only bungled the opportunity of a life time given to him by Akpabio but also invited odium upon the state by his crude actions.

Even though Akpabio nominated Udoedeghe against the advice of well meaning Akwa Ibom indigenes especially Udoedeghe’s kinsmen from Uyo, as testified by the former minister himself, the latter still felt the governor owed him so much. He is alleged to have asked Akpabio to give him the sum of 6 billion naira from the state’s revenue to enable him buy up the comatose Nigerian Paper Mill Company, Oku Iboko which was up for sell. An amused Akpabio was said to have told him that it was very much impossible as his administration was determined to commit every available fund to providing infrastructural development to the people who voted him to office. He had earlier made a similar request to Obong Attah, while in office as governor but met a brick wall, as well.

When his attempt to help himself to the state treasury failed, Udoedeghe is alleged to have once again approached Akpabio, this time with a phony plan asking the governor to use the state’s fund as a security for a loan facility he Udoedeghe intended to get from a new generation bank located on Aka Road with headquarters in Victoria Island, Lagos. Like his earlier demand, this other one failed woefully and Akpabio is alleged to have warned him sternly to desist from his corrupt nature. This is said to have been the last straw to break Udoedeghe’s back, according to one of his personal aides, the senator felt betrayed and vowed to not only deal with Akpabio but will also ensure that he wrestle the PDP governorship ticket for the 2011 election from him.

To achieve this evil plot Udoedeghe who was an arrow head of the Abuja front that terrorized the Obong Attah’s administration started shopping for soul mates that will help him achieve his heart desire. He is said to have found a band of willing partners in one time sworn enemy and former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah; disgraced former chairman of NDDC, Amb. Sam Edem, and Mr. Ime Mbat Essien  - using ethnic sentiments. While Akpabio is from minority Annang; they are all from Ibibio and are said to be angling to take power from Akpabio in 2011.

According to a very reliable source, the started hatching their plans, holding meetings in Abuja and Lagos. Their plans according to our source was in three faces; the face being the recruiting of hack writers who will use Obong Attah’s boys in the western press to spread false information about Akpabio’s administration. The job was contracted out to an Ibo born one time managing director of a Lagos based newspaper who is married to an Akwa Ibom born former songster. The man who enjoyed unlimited funds from Obong Attah’s administration is said  have been given a blank cheque to execute his plan, but the plan did not succeed as the landmark achievements recorded by Akpabio in Akwa Ibom was well engraved in the consciousness of the people of the state within and outside the country. Also, he is allegedly the muscle behind Mr. Ime Mbat-Essien’s petitions against the governor in recent times.  

Throwing up the ethnic card, Mbat Essien has accused Akpabio of trying to eliminate the Ibibios politically. However, the entire Ibibio nation has risen against them, condemning such attempt at drawing the state back to the long forgotten ethnic differences among Akwa Ibom people. First to fire the salvo was Eket federal constituency based Afig Iwaad Eket, the body not only condemned Attah for trying to sow seed of animosity in the state but also warned the likes of Udoedeghe to desist from using their selfish ambition to cause unnecessary tension in the state.

The Ibibio Elders Forum in a widely publicize paid advert said that nobody can speak on their behalf. They insisted that neither Udoedeghe nor Mbat-Essien is qualified to speak on behalf of the Ibibio people, that the body is total in support of the Akpabio administration and is also very pleased which evenly distributed people oriented projects embarked upon by the administration across the state.

All these condemnations were child’s play compared to what Udoedeghe’s kinsmen did to him. They all gathered in their thousands from all walks of life to condemn their brother’s attempt at fanning the ember of disunity in the state. According to the paramount ruler of Uyo, Edidem Silas, Udoedeghe was not mandated and can never be mandated to speak on behalf of the people of Uyo. He stressed that the people of Uyo have benefited from the massive infrastructural development embarked upon by the Akpabio administration and were giving him their unalloyed support.

Former commissioner of youths and sport under Obong Attah’s administration, Dr. Chris Ekong spoke in the same vein accusing Udoedeghe of trying to mislead the people of Uyo again. He said Udoedeghe lacked the moral right to level unfounded accusation against Akpabio who has done so much for the people of the state within a short span of 2 years.

But Bassey, the former Minister’s spokesman countered claiming that Senator Udoedeghe neither had powers to award contracts or sign cheques for or on behalf of the FCT Ministry.

According to him, “Modibbo handled award of contracts and for the eighteen months he served as Minister for State, he never had anything to do with money or contracts. His duties were merely to supervise the Area Councils in Abuja which he did diligently.

Bassey added that the document which made him Minister of State for FCT clearly stated his duties and responsibilities and he was never in charge or involved in the beautification project.