Ifere Paul|9 December 2015|5:38am
For three weeks now, I have been on the trail of the Cross River State House of Assembly to uncover
vital situations and abuse of power by the speaker.
I dropped into Calabar about 3 hours before the governor was due to land. There was a beehive of activities that raised my curiosity at the Margaret Ekpo Int'l Airport. When I asked an airport worker, she fired back with a question as a reply, "you no know say Oga Siren dey come back from oversea after two months of travelling?" I smiled to myself
as I walked away. Muttering silently, "What an answer?"
As the town is busy with activities, especially at the airport, some part of the town will be apparently
empty. I took out my phone and dialed my contact. She picked at the first ring, and like I suspected, the
whole House of Assembly Complex was deserted. All its representatives may have gone out to meet the
governor, and other businesses.
The following account is the interaction between the House of Assembly employee and I. She gave me an indepth analysis of the "House" activities. I have sworn to protect her identity.
Illegal Loans Acquisition:
Unknown to CrossRiverians, the House of Assembly has been taking loans they share among
themselves at tax payers repayment plans. The house took a loan of 556million naira from Fidelity Bank. Each of the 28 members of the Assembly will have at least 20 million naira as their share. The
money which was distributed for a repayment plan of four years has since been exhausted.
The House of Assembly has also approved another 244 million naira for a loan facility from the same
bank which is due to be disburse on Friday 4th December or Monday 7th December. Each member is expected to pocket at least 8 million.
I visited a 'bank branch manager' with 'Fidelity Bank who is a friend from UNICAL and I had an
appointment to meet the Director of Operations, Cross River State. The Director confirmed that Fidelity Bank did packaged a loan for the CRSHA. He said the amounts and terms of payment are not to be discussed with anyone other than the House members themselves.
Reports are going around that Hon. Joseph Bassey representing Calabar South 2 constituency, had spent 5 million naira on constituents with monies he borrowed from a bank. While this gesture can be
commended, a larger percentage of other representatives have spent their own on "beer beer
bank" and "toto welfare".
No Pay For Legislative Aides:
For well over six months the legislative aides to our
representatives have not been paid. These aides are to a larger extent the brain behind the smooth
running of a representative in the House. They serve as organizers and sometimes advisers. Some aides have also fitted themselves into domestic duties of arranging and entertaining of guests for the representatives at home. Even at
these extra responsibility and efficiency, these aides are treated like personal servants and
messengers. While the services of the legislative aides has been
ignored, our representatives are seen all over town with young under aged girls of different skins and
colors. Some of the representatives without character and conscience, sleeps around with people's wives in the name of helping constituents.
It is sad that even some of these brainless individuals blow sirens to go pick up their girlfriends to different hotel rooms while their wives are left to sleep alone in far away villages and Abuja. Most of
these representatives have refused to bring their wives to the city because of the easy lays they get
as a result of huge "toto welfare package" they give to their concubines.
Taking Legislative Aides As Personal Servants:
Most lawmakers take legislative aides as their personal servants. They send them out as drivers
to go pick up their girlfriends from the airport and take them to a hidden hotel locations in the city.
They send them out to buying condoms and sex lubricants. It is sad that even the Speaker of the
House would allow this to happen. Even when legislative aides tell him that they have not been paid, the Speaker fires back with "what do you want me to do? Or can't you see that the State Legislative House is underfunded? Or is it that you
don't know that we are requesting for bailout funds for the House from the government?" "Even my legislative aides have not been paid, the Speaker will conclude"
Speaker John Gaul: A Messenger/Errand Boy of Frank Ayade:
It is no news in the Cross River State House of Assembly that the Rt. Hon. Speaker of the House is an errand boy of the Governor Ben Ayade and to the De Facto governor Frank Ayade. It is revealed that whatever the House discusses in secret in private session does walk to the houses of either Ben Ayade or his brother Frank Ayade. In order to gain cheap favors, Speaker John Gaul
has reduced himself to a "stooge" to Governor Ben Ayade. It is seriously a big issue for the Rt. Hon. Speaker to reduce himself to a baby pampers to
Frank Ayade. Revealing State issues discussed either at plenary or outside plenary with the younger
brother of a governor is illegal and a slap on the State House. It is despicable as it is also impeachable. Revealing names of CRSHA members who are not in
support of the way the governor operates in enforcing his policies in the State, is a betrayal of trust entrusted to you as a leader of the House. The Speaker's actions to always visit Frank Ayade's house with CRSHA deliberations, even in the middle of the night for whatsoever reasons, is evil and bad
for Cross River State and Crossriverians.
At one such visits, I was confidently told that the security details of Frank Ayade prevented the
Speaker from entering the residence of Frank Ayade. This singular action led to scuffle between
Frank's security and that of John Gaul. It extended to a point that they corked their guns. That was when the attention of Frank was called and invited the Speaker in. It is a bad thing to "publicly pledge loyalty" to a governor as a speaker of the "CRSHA" as it is dangerous to accord the same loyalty to his
younger brother at night. Such broad day light and night time loyalty is a puppetry of any democratic institutions. Especially, one which is financially indebted and incapacitated from the same absolute loyalty given to the former governor, Liyel Imoke. It is treacherous. It is dangerous. And it is impeachable.
Overhead Cost Payment/Bailout Funds:
With an overhead costs of 1.55million naira per month to each representative, and a 776 million
naira bailouts funds through loans from Fidelity Bank, Cross River State House of Assembly is among the most expensive Assembly Houses in Nigeria within six months of assumption of office. All these monies are supposed to have at least given our basket mouth Rt. Hon. Speaker a slack and freedom from the two Ayades. But like always, greed is an avenue that leads to betrayal of group
agreement. Just like it was rumoured last week, this betrayal
was evidently glaring when the House decided to impeach the Speaker. I will conclude this finding
that like Hillary Besong and Joseph Odok who have stated that "the CRSHA is a rubber stamp of the
governor of Cross River State. It is also pertinent to state that the CRSHA is a rubber stamp to Frank
Ayade, who is also referred to as the "de facto governor".
The CRSHA must therefore, take necessary actions to purge traitors of democracy from among them.
Ifere Paul
Is a Public Policy Analyst & Environmental Right Activist
