By Balimwor Ekpe
The 10th assembly of the Cross River State House of Assembly, led by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Elvert Ayambem has recovered some state-owned construction equipment, following an investigation into the misappropriation of 34 State-owned heavy-duty construction equipment by certain Government officials during the administration of former Governor Ben Ayade.
Recall that on Thursday 22 February, 2024, the House of Assembly unanimously reaffirmed their commitment to the recovery of the construction equipment and demanded that the perpetrators of this fraudulent scheme face justice. Sequel to the Assembly’s investigative resolution, some of the construction equipment recovered and taken into the State’s custody includes 1 1050k Dozzer, 1 payloader, 1 Grader, 1 850J Dozer, 1 Backo, and 2 Excavators.
Acknowledging the arrival of the state-owned heavy-duty equipment in Calabar, Rt. Hon. Elvert Ayambem clarified that while 23 heavy-duty trucks and equipment remain on the site to be transported back to Calabar, 7 of the equipment have been successfully recovered to Calabar. He said that the slow movement to Calabar was caused by a lack of high-powered transportation vessels. The recovery exercise, he vowed, will continue into the next week.
Ayambem reaffirmed the House of Assembly’s steadfast dedication to recovering all of the 30 stolen pieces of equipment and making sure that the people, who constitute every democracy’s greatest asset, are receiving their dividends from the government. He continued by saying that the Cross River State Government will save more than 50 billion naira by recovering the heavy-duty equipment, which was originally used for rentals and the purchase of new machinery.
The speaker also emphasised that to fulfil the people’s first mantra, the 10th Assembly will keep backing the government led by Governor Otu to return Cross River to a model state.
