Commissioner: Bassey Otu not probing Ayade’s administration

Pius Edet, the commissioner for works in Cross River, has denied making allegations of corruption and maladministration against Ben Ayade, former governor of the state.

In a report on Wednesday, the commissioner was quoted to have indicted the former governor over the situation of some infrastructural projects in the state.

“The level of infrastructure decay we met on the ground was such that I was confused as a commissioner when I went round Calabar upon resumption,” Edet was quoted as saying in a press briefing.

However, reacting to the matter on Friday, Edet, who also served as a commissioner during Ayade’s administration, said: “there was no time in the course of my press briefing that I referred to former governor Ben Ayade or his administration.”

The commissioner said he is not in the right position to speak about the financial situation of the state.

“The report was totally untrue and a deliberate act of mischief. For iteration and for emphasis, I did not say what was wrongly imputed to me in the news report about the former governor and his administration. If anything, I was also part of that administration,” he said.

“It is imperative, therefore, to clarify and state that at no point did I mention the former governor’s name or refer to the state’s treasury.

“My remarks during the interview were strictly on matters pertaining to my ministry, where I revealed the dire financial challenges the ministry was facing, owing to the general economic crunch in the country.

“As commissioner for works, I am not competent to speak on the financial status of the state or its treasury.

“I had made it clear to reporters that His Excellency, Governor Bassey Otu was committed to giving the state capital a face-lift, despite the paucity of funds, because Calabar remains the face of Cross River as well as Nigeria’s tourism hub.

“I am neither the commissioner of finance, the commissioner for information nor the special adviser on media and publicity.

“I must state very clearly that I have a lot of respect for the former governor, Prof. Ben Ayade who made me a commissioner during the final year of his administration. I still owe him a debt of gratitude, even as he remains one of my benefactors.”