Relevant documents obtained from the Obudu Ranch Resort, Cross River State, by social commentator and critic, Ifere Paul, show that more than a whooping N164 million, generated from the ranch, appear to have made its way, not into government coffers but into private pockets, www.calitown.com can report.
The amount represents revenue generated in the ranch from December 2015 to July 2018. A breakdown of this figure revealed that:
1. In December 2015, Forty Five Million, Three Hundred Thousand Naira was generated from the resort.
2. In the summer (August-September) holidays of 2015, the Resort generated the sum of Twenty Seven Million Naira Only.
3. In summer of of 2016, the sum of Seventeen Million Naira was generated. While Twenty Seven Million was generated in December of 2016.
4. December 2017 the resort generated Thirty Million Three Hundred and Thirty Nine Thousand, Seven Hundred and Eighty Five Naira.
5. In January 2018, the resort generated Five Million, One Hundred and Eighty Four Thousand, Seven Hundred and Sixteen Naira.
6. In February 2018, the resort generated Three Hundred Thousand, Nine Hundred and Sixty One Naira.
7. In March 2018, Fifteen Million Seven Hundred and Six Thousand Naira Only.
8. Between May-July, 2018, Thirty One Million Naira Only has been generated.
9. Still in July, 2018, the actors guide in Nigeria held a week seminar up the ranch. About Seven Million Naira was generated in that instant.
The document also revealed that, certain items, property of the resort, appear too to have been carted away under what one commentator described as mysterious circumstances. Included in this list are:
1. 2 30 seated Nissan Coaster Bus
2. 2 Pick Up Hilux Van
3. A Water Tank Vehicle (stationed at the Bebi Air Strip).
4. A Land Rover Defender Vehicle for Fire Service
5. 2 Presidential Gulf Vehicles
6. Honey Factory Pick Up Vehicle
7. A 150 KVA Mikano Generator (at the water park, bottom hill)
8. A 750 KVA Mikano Generator for the resort
9. 10 Brand New Computers for the office of the general manager.
10. 2 Printers
11. 21 Cargo Containers at the resort.
12. A Deep Freezer at the resort kitchen
13. Equipments at the laundry room
14. Brand New Wilson Lawn Tennis Rackets
15. 1 NPF Pickup Van with registration number 618B
16. Nissan Super Salon with registration number 1GHC 40
17. 1 Ford Everest Jeep with registration number CR538A01.
When www.calitown.com, contacted the Cross River State Culture and Tourism Commissioner, Eric Anderson, he maintained that the list of allegations were “familiar allegations” and that “the issues at the ranch will be resolved.” He did not volunteer any further as he excused himself that he was rushing to have a meeting with the Obol Lopon of Ugep, Obol Ofem Ubana Eteng.
However, one top government source who reacted when contacted on this issue, fingered the S.A to the governor on the ranch as “the man at the centre of this storm. When we give them advice on what can and cannot be done, they refuse to listen. Between the S.A, Ability Akwaji and the governor’s other S.A, Francis Eworo, who oversaw the sale of boarded government property, a lot of water passed under the bridge and they must be accosted and made to give account. No other person can give better account than this two; ask them, they have answers to the systematic theft that took place at the ranch.”
Akwaji we also discovered, has an ongoing ethnicity battle at the ranch to contend with. Shortly after he was appointed to oversee the ranch, some Obanliku indigenes were irked that highly qualified indigenes of the area were overlooked for Akwaji, an Obudu indigene. One source on the ground in Becheve, the village up the ranch, informed www.calitown.com that, “the initial protests by those Obanliku indigenes appear to have brought out what I don’t want to call, the worst, out of Akwaji, as he did whatever he wanted and told anybody who cared to listen that he has the ears of the governor and Frank (Ayade), the governor’s brother.” We got assurances that this matter has formed the crux of a petition to be submitted to Nigeria’s Economic Crimes and Financial Commission, EFCC, before the end of next week.
