$12m: How Presidency ordered Uzodinma’s probe

The ongoing probe of the governorship candidate of the All
Progressives Congress in Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, by the Special
Presidential Investigation Panel for Recovery of Public Property
began in August 2017 by the Office of Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo,
who was then Acting President, The PUNCH reports.

The SPIPRPP was said to have on November 12, 2018 briefly
arrested Uzodinma, over the allegation that his company failed to
execute a contract of $12m for the dredging of the Calabar channel
after the firm had been allegedly paid.

The chairman of the panel, Okoi Obon-Obla, said the serving
senator representing Imo West was released shortly after his arrest
at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Obono-Obla said the senator promised to return for interrogation
the following day but failed to do so.

It was learnt that the panel’s probe into the contract fraud
allegation was originally uncovered by a whistleblower who reported
the case to then Acting President’s office.

According to reports, the office subsequently directed the
Obono-Obla panel to act on the information via a memo dated August
18, 2017 “for further investigation”.

Uzodinma, who in April 2018, defected to the APC, was as of the
time his case, referred to the SPIPRPP as a member of the Peoples
Democratic Party.

The terse memo by the VP’s office with reference number
SH/OVP/DOCS/Misc./00146 was signed by Osinbajo’s Chief of Staff,
Ade Ipaye.

Other allegations contained in the document, which our
correspondent obtained from a presidential source on Sunday,
included an alleged conflict of interest.

According to the letter, Uzodinma and his company, Niger Global
Engineering and Technical Company Limited, are involved in
“multiple contracts on the dredging of the Calabar channel”.

The PUNCH is also in the possession of various documents
accompanying the charges of the failure to declare assets
instituted by the SPIPRPP against Uzodinma on July 4, 2018.

The defendant has yet to be arraigned for the charges.

Accompanying the charges filed before the Federal High Court in
Abuja were an interim investigative report of the panel dated April
11, 2018.

According to the report, Uzodinma is being investigated for “a
case of criminal conspiracy, criminal diversion of public funds and
official corruption in the dredging of the Calabar Access Channel,
which caused wrongful loss to the Federal Government to the tune of
N12,500, 000”.

The report signed by the leader of the investigative team of the
SPIPRPP, Ime Udofia, stated that the Federal Government approved
the dredging of the Calabar Access Channel “to boost economic
activities in Calabar port.”

It added, “Sequel to the approval, a joint venture was entered
into between the Nigerian Ports Authority, on the one hand, and a
consortium of firms led by Niger Global Engineering and Technical
Limited on the other, culminating in the incorporation of Calabar
Management, the special purpose vehicle for undertaking the
intended purpose on February 21, 2013.

“Of the nominal 300,000,000 shares of CCM, the NPA was allotted
60 per cent stake of about 160,000,000 shares, while the consortium
of firms were allotted 40 per cent stake of 140,000,000 shares.

“The Calabar Channel Management was therefore set up for
managing the channel for an initial period of 15 years.”

But Uzodinma has repeatedly denied the allegations, saying the
probe was connected with his emergence as the governorship
candidate of the APC in Imo State.

He said his company was only a part of the consortium formed to
manage the Calabar channels.

He said the consortium formed a joint venture with the NPA.

According to him, the NPA with 60 per cent shareholding was
operating the joint venture, named Calabar Chanels Management
Company.

He said before he came to the Senate, the dredging had been
done.

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