* Unqualified consultant had bribed us, Prof Etie Ben admits
A university of Calabar Geology professor Etie Ben Akpan has openly confessed to receiving bribe to favour a non qualified candidate to handle the oil spillage palliative of Exxon Mobil, THE INK understands.
Prof Etie Ben who hails from OKON in Eket Local Government area is among those that have been accused to have sold out because of the bribe they received from Union Engineering Limited in Uyo and the bribe it was gathered came from a very well placed officer of Union Engineering Engineer Joe Inwang who is a former state officer of the now defunct ACN.
THE INK gathered that when some chiefs went to the clan Head Elect of OKON-Eket HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS OBONG AKPABIO EKPOTON INYANG demanding to know why the successful applicant Ultimate Power International Limited who emerged victorious after the examination in the order of those who bided for the job was denied the contract to clean up the mess, the OKON EKET Royal monarch is said to have informed the likes of Chief M. D Uwem that he heard rumoursly that Joe Inwang of Union Engineering Nig Limited had offered members of the oil spill committee some money to cause him to land the job.
Obong Akpabio EKpoton Inyang is said to have informed that his position today as the clan head of OKON is made possible by Prof Etie Ben Akpan as as aresult of that, he will do what the UNICAL lecturer will ask him to do. The OKON chief is said to have dialed Professor Etie Ben Akpan’s number informing him, Prof of the rancours that the decision to back Union against the winner of the bid ULTIMATE POWER is presently causing in the area.
Etie Ben in his response on phone had said, “Ufan ado,( apparently referring to Engr Joe Inwang of Union Consultant) ama diyem mkpo inno nnyin, ufan ado ammadikid nnyin so emma ekwenge mkpo ado. Kpon mbio Eket ado ke inieghe se edi nam.
Speaking further Prof Etie Ben Akpan had queried the OKON clan head if part of the bribe money from Union Oil is extended to him whether he won’t give up the struggle? Prof Etie Ben Akpan had asked, “Etok mkpo akpuduk ubok ubughu ukpon idem?” unknown to Professor Etie Ben Akpan he was on speaker throughout the duration of his interaction with his clan head and the information was over heard by all those present at the said meeting.
Meanwhile, the winner of the consultancy bid who is an indigene of Eket Local Government Area, the CEO and MD of Ultimate Power Engineering International Limited Engr. Essien Essien and Aniefiok Monday Assam respectively appear to be sidelined due to the greed and selfishness of the the Council Chairman Aniekan Akpan, Professor Etie Ben Akpan and a host others. Aniekan Akpan is said to be working against the interest of the people because they wish to justify the million naira bribe they received from Union Oil Company.
Already, there are tension and problems in Eket Local Government area following the protest that has been registered by interest groups as a result of the betrayal of Eket people. In their different submissions, the Eket Local Government Youth Council in a protest letter addressed to the Executive Director Exxon Mobil, Lagos signed by her Secretary General, Iniobong Thompson Onbehalf of the Youths of Eket noted that Eket Youth council, the umbrella Youth body of all Youth organizations in Eket Local Government, having spearheaded the November 2013 youth demonstration in Eket Local Government Area concerning the oil spillage issue are disappointed by recent developments by your establishment, relevant staffs or your agent in selecting the consultant to handle the palliative projects as directed by your organization in Eket Local Government.
It is no more strange to you that some of the consultant submitted by the implementation committee are not indigenes of our Local Government, a situation that negates totally the Nigeria local content law in which your establishment adhere to diligently.
We hereby want to state unambiguously that a situation where any consultant that is not an indigene of Eket Local Government Area is being imposed on our people is going to be resisted by us in every means within the law. We are also informed that the consultants for Esit Eket, Onna and Ibeno Local Government Area are all indigenes of their respective Local Government Areas. It has also come to our knowledge that the Eket indigenous consultancy firms performed more than the Uyo and Ikot Abasi counterpart. Thus, we implore you to use your good offices in the selection of the consultant for Eket Local Government.The conference of Village Heads in a release signed by its members said, We the Traditional Rulers in Council at our meeting inaugurated various committees to oversee the smooth implementation of the palliative projects as directed by you. At one of the meetings with your company, it was agreed that the host communities- Eket, Esit Eket, Ibeno and Onna should select their projects based on their peculiar needs and recommend their consultants who must be indigenes in conjunction with your own consultants, will supervise the execution of all approved projects.
We are therefore at a loss to be informed from a very reliable source that your company approved the selection of UNION ENGINEERING LIMITED from Uyo Local Government Area, who is not an indigene of Eket Local Government Area as our own consultant, instead of ULTIMATE POWER ENGINEERING INT’L LIMITED. Also, from a reliable source we learnt that ULTIMATE POWER ENGINEERING INT’L LIMITED came first, UNION ENGINEERING LIMITED second and others respectively in your scoring. How come the second person in your scoring is now been awarded the contract?
Your unilateral selection of a community consultant for us who are not from our own community is very suspicious as to your real intention. You are very conversant with the provision of Local content policy of Government and the need for Peace in Oil producing areas in the area of employment generation and creation.
The reason why your company adheres to the policy in the selection of consultants of Onna, Ibeno and Esit Eket LGAs who are all indigenes of the area except Eket is not understood. Consequent upon the above, we hereby urge you to use your good offices and reverse the selection of Union Engineering Limited. And replace it with that of ULTIMATE POWER ENGINEERING INTERNATIONAL LIMITED.
We know this is not your fault as you acted upon the recommendation letter sent to you thinking this was what the people of Eket Local Government Area wanted, we hereby bring to your notice that the Eket conference of Village heads are not aware of the selection of this so called company from Uyo Local Government Area and would like you to immediately reverse the award and hand the contract over to ULTIMATE POWER ENGINEERING INT’L LIMITED as our recommended consultant. We are now of the knowledge that the secretary of the Oil spill committee secretly included the companies from Uyo and Ikot Abasi without the idea of the traditional fathers of Eket LGA.
It would also please you to know that even the Eket Local Government Chairman DOES NOT have the right to an extent of selecting someone from Uyo Local Government Area instead of Eket as our consultant without the knowledge of the Traditional Fathers of Eket LGA. We know that you do not know that this person is not from Eket Local Government Area.
We have had so many crises in the past as a result of abnormal of this nature, and we don’t want it to repeat itself.
Akpuho Esop Ibong Mkparawa Ekid nation says in a release signed by her leader and secretary We are surprised why Exxon Mobil is still holding the nation that an Eket person lacks the capability and competence to handle such assignment to the satisfaction of everybody. At one time, a military administrator of Akwa Ibom State made a nasty and unguarded utterance that Eket people are not literate as such they could not gain employment in Exxon Mobil. That remark did not go well with the Eket people. Eket people were insulted.
It is in that same note that Exxon Mobil is looking outside to appoint a consultant to carry out assignment. We reiterate that we object in totality and urge Exxon Mobil to, as a matter of urgency cancels that appointment.
We wish that the doctrine of local content must be strictly ahere to at all time and every MOU entered into with ExxonMobil must be honoured to the letter. In this circumstance, we in the capacity of the supreme youth leaders council, Eket appoint the persons of Messrs ULTIMATE POWER ENGINEERING INTERNATIONAL LIMITED (UPEI) With Engr.Essien U.Essien (CEO) and Mr.Aniefiok Monday Assam (MD) are aborgin of Eket and they are competent consultant for this assignment. For the sake of peace and coexistence we wish that you adopt and implement the above mentioned recommendation otherwise the Eket youths should not be held responsible for the consequence that might follow.
Investigation reveals that the oil giant has concluded plans to pay the affected communities compensation for the November 2012 oil spill through the execution of projects and not by cash.
The company, the source further revealed called for contractors from the four L.G.As to bid for the consultancy job on the compensation projects.
“Many contractors from the core communities as required by Mobil entered for the bid and a particular contractor from Eket won the bid but a few unscrupulous individuals from Eket used their position in the society and recommended another company owned by a contractor outside the core community to Mobil. The Oil Company adhered to their recommendation and thwarted the bidding process” said Chief Isaiah Bob, a youth leader from Iko Eket Village.
Chief Bob said further that by distorting the due process of the bid, Mobil has planted another time bomb that will engulf the entire communities into another round of violence.
He called on the company to respect the Nigerian Local content Law and the memorandum of understanding it signed with its host communities by publishing the winner of the bid which he said has been rigmarole, adding that unless the contract is awarded to the winner, there will never be peace in the community.
Chief Bob said information reaching him has it that a company owned by a former state treasurer of the defunct Action congress of Nigeria (ACN) is the one that has been given the consultancy job instead of the original winner.
The intention, he said, is to empower the defunct ACN treasurer who is now a chieftain of all progressive congress (APC) with enough money to fight the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the forth – coming general elections in the State.
All effort to get reaction from Akaniyene Esiere, manager public Affairs of Mobil failed as his Mobile phone could not go through.
Others fingered in this gang-up against Eket are; The Youth President - Godwin Nduaesa, wife of the former Paramount Ruler - Obonganwan Comfort Enodien amongst others.
More details later as events unfold.
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