The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Uguru Usani, was indicted for
fraud and abuse of office during his tenure as a commissioner in Cross
River State, SaharaReporters learned on Monday.
Usani was the Commissioner for Agriculture, Water Resources, and Rural
Development during the last military administration in the state, which
was headed by Col. U. F Ahmed (Rtd). It was Military Administrator
Ahmed who handed over to the elected governor of the state, Mr. Donald
Duke, at the beginning of the Fourth Republic on May 29, 1999
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Uguru Usani,
was indicted for fraud and abuse of office during his tenure as a
commissioner in Cross River State, SaharaReporters learned on Monday.
Usani was the Commissioner for Agriculture, Water Resources, and
Rural Development during the last military administration in the state,
which was headed by Col. U. F Ahmed (Rtd). It was Military
Administrator Ahmed who handed over to the elected governor of the
state, Mr. Donald Duke, at the beginning of the Fourth Republic on May
29, 1999.Our correspondent on Monday obtained a document published in 2000 by the Cross River State Government indicting Mr. Usani for fraud and abuse of office.
In its gazette, the state government concluded in its findings that Usani along with a firm, Gersh Henshaw & Company, defrauded the government of about N16m through a contract for the valuation of the assets of an agency under his ministry.
It recommended that the former commissioner be prosecuted and that details of the transaction be forwarded to the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
On June 21, 1999 Governor Duke inaugurated the Financial Impropriety/Verification Standing Committee to, among others: ascertain the assets and liabilities of the ministries and institutions, all forms of financial impropriety (if any) in government ministries and establishments, the perpetrators of such financial improprieties; and recommend appropriate disciplinary actions to be taken against the culprits including recovery of all such sums.
The committee, which was led by Chief Orok Oyo, included Chief Andy Ikpeme, Ekpe Essien Ita, Otu Oka, Mr. Akomaye Adie and Okoi-Obono Obla (who was later replaced by Mr. Stephen Asuquo).
The recommendations of the committee and approval of the state government were published as Cross River Gazette titled, ‘Views of the Cross Rivers State Government on the Report of the Financial Impropriety/Verification Standing Committee.'
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