Properties worth Billions of Naira, huge sums of money both in Nigeria
and foreign currencies in numerous accounts have been traced to Sunday
Akpan Edet, a serving permanent secretary in the President Muhammadu
Buhari-led federal government, according to Pointblanknews.com
investigations.
Akpan Edet who is currently the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Science
and Technology owns several properties in the Federal Capital Territory,
multimillion-naira hotels, while several other properties were used for
real estate purposes in breach of public service rules against
self-enrichment far beyond legitimate earnings.
Section 172 of the 1999 constitution enjoins all persons in the public
service to conform to the Code of Conduct. The Fifth Schedule (Part 1)
(Section 1) of the constitution says that “A public officer shall not
put himself in a position where his personal interest conflicts with his
duties and responsibilities.”
Also, Section 2 (a) also bars a public officer from engaging in the
running of any private business, profession, or trade. This according to
our investigations, Mr. Sunday Akpan Ede who has been running companies
and owning properties far beyond his legitimate earnings has been
breached.
Pointblanknews.com investigations, one of the businesses owned by the
Permanent Secretary is Lavender Worldwide Concepts Limited. The company
is registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC whose
registered directors include Akpan Sunday alongside his wife and
children, namely, Akpan Edet Emediong, Akpan Edet Grace, Akpan Edet
Abasiama, Akpan Edet Theresa who are also directors.
Lavender Worldwide Concepts Limited with registration number, RC 945005
was registered on 30th March 2011, and located in one of Mr. Akpan’s
properties in Lugbe.
The company has been running since then, with huge inflow of money into
account number 681988012 domiciled with FCMB. His property at Block 74,
Flat 3, OAU Quarters, Wuse 2, Abuja is the address.
Various sums of cash which Pointblanknews.com obtained its lodgments
were done at the Aminu Kano Branch of the FCMB bank. The company account
with UBA Account number 1018750910 also saw huge inflows done at Aminu
Kano branch.
Lavender Worldwide Concepts Limited has been used to wire money out of
the country to Akpan’s children abroad according to our investigations
and bank details obtained.
The super Perm Sec also owns Agete Luxury Hotels Limited located at Plot
561, 2nd Avenue, Gwarimpa Estate, Abuja.
The name of the hotel is coined from a combination of the first letters
of Abasiama, Grace, Edet, Theresa and Emediong (names of his wife and
children) to form the name AGETE. It was registered on 13th October
2008 with RC Number 778234. It has his wife and children allegedly
fronting for him as directors.
Huge sums of foreign currencies in dollars and pounds have been
deposited into this account by Mr. Akpan as seen by our team of
investigators. The hotel operates a UBA account number 2030202689. Some
of these lodgments were at various times made at the bank branch of 35
Marina, Lagos State.
Another of his investment in the hospitality industry is the luxurious
De-Silva Guest House Limited located at Plot 920, Senegal Street, Wuse,
Zone 5, Abuja. This company with RC number 645984, was registered on
17th February 2006 with his wife as co-owner.
Akpan Edet is also into construction with the establishment of Stockwell
Construction Company Limited through which he uses his office and top
connection in government circles to secure many contracts.
CAC documents shows that himself, his wife, and kids are the directors
of the company registered on 22nd October 2009 with its address as
C33/34, 5552 Road, Gwarimpa Estate, Abuja. With two projects account in
its name domiciled in Access Bank with account numbers 94120416 and
94119498, staggering sums of dollars and Naira have been lodged inside.
The company also uses one other of his properties at Flat A, 21 Plot
494, 24 Crescent, off 2nd Avenue, Abuja as a branch office.
Agete Group of companies, registered on 8th March 2010, is a holding
company for most of Akpan’s numerous companies.
According to the documents in our possession, De-Silva Guest House
limited, is represented by the Perm Sec as a director while Agete Luxury
Hotel and Stockwell Construction Company is represented by his wife as
the second director. It has one of Akpan’s properties at No C33/34, 552
Road, Gwarimpa Estate, Abuja as its address and RC No 873967.
Pointblanknews.com investigations revealed that the Permanent
Secretary’s personal dollar account number 2032392988 with First Bank
has monies beyond his legitimate earnings with offshore debit charges
ranging to $10,011.60 in one single transaction.
His pounds account number 2029752355 with First Bank also has similar
lodgment and debit also to his children abroad. In a particular
transaction in 2019, the sum of N86,677,405 was debited from his Naira
account in Access Bank account number 0089300492.
Further investigation showed that Brains and Hammers was used to build
various mansions for him and his wife, Akpan Theresa Edet. She is used
as a front to make various deposits to the construction company. She
operates account number 3010157713 in First Bank. She also has accounts
with Access Bank, UBA, Fidelity Bank where on 8th February 2018, his
hotel transferred the sum of N85 million into his wife’s account.
Contrary to the Code of Conduct law that says “subject to the provisions
of the constitution, every public officer shall three months after
coming into force of this Code of Conduct or immediately after taking of
office and thereafter: (a) at the end of every four years, and (b) at
the end of his term of office submit to the Code of Conduct Bureau a
written declaration of all his properties, assets and liabilities and
those of his unmarried children under the age of eighteen years.
Pointblanknews.com investigations have shown that none of these
companies and properties has been declared before the CCB.
Edet Akpan has served as Permanent Secretary in many federal ministries
including Industry, Trade, and Investment; Mines and Steel; amongst
other top government positions.