Ayade explains why government assets are missing in Cross River

Cross River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, has expressed his concerns over the stealing of government assets in the twilight of his administration.

Speaking at the State Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office, Calabar, during the swearing-in ceremony of Udiba Udiba as the Commissioner for Assets Management, and Martins Osibe as a Commissioner in the Cross River Civil Service Commission, Ayade announced the disbandment of the state’s Scrap Metal Regulatory Agency, which he accused of engaging in unwholesome activities.

Ayade explains why government assets are missing

According to the governor, the office of the Commissioner for Assets Management is tasked with documenting every single asset belonging to the state.

Ayade lamented the sad story of Cross River regarding assets remittances, stating that assets have often been taken away due to a lack of inventory.

He revealed that some people move from one ministry to another, taking government assets and disappearing with them.

He also revealed that government vehicles are disappearing, and official cars are often seized and hidden by individuals who convert them to personal use.

“government vehicles are disappearing. If a vehicle has a small dent and it is sent to mechanic workshop, they will disappear from there. Government will buy official vehicles that are functional and somebody will seize them and say it is scrap.

“We must have an asset register for the state, indicating that if you go to Obudu for instance, this particular building belongs to Ministry of Agriculture, this particular land belongs to the state and it is a property of the Cross River State government.”

The governor attributed the stealing of government assets to the absence of an asset register for the state.

Ayade proposes solution
Ayade emphasised the need for a register that would indicate which properties belong to the state and are properties of the Cross River State government.

Ayade accused the disbanded Scrap Metal Agency of illegally pilfering government assets, including dumpsters and labelling them as scraps. He also disclosed that the agency was going around causing problems, seizing everything and claiming they were scraps.

Moving forward…

He described the new Commissioner, Udiba, as an honest man and one of the pillars of his administration.

He expressed optimism that Udiba would deliver in his new assignment and asked him to hit the ground running. In his response, Udiba thanked the governor for appointing him and pledged to carry out his job without fear or favour.

The disbandment of the Scrap Metal Regulatory Agency and the appointment of Udiba as the Commissioner for Assets Management is a significant step towards the recovery of government assets in Cross River State.

Takeout: The governor’s decision sends a clear message that the state will no longer tolerate the illegal pilfering of government assets.