As usual, we have read the badly written lies, half-truths and misinformed propaganda of Stephen Odey and his horde of uninformed lads. We understand that they are still smarting and nursing misplaced bitterness against the person of Distinguished Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe; we will deal with the issue of this misplaced bitterness presently.
1. The contract has been awarded, there is, at least, no argument about this. Ordinarily, this should be a cause for happiness but clearly Stephen Odey and his horde of traders in insults and propaganda lack the capacity to be happy about good news in our constituency, especially when Senator Jarigbe is the facilitator or architect behind the good news.
2. This contract was awarded vide a letter dated the 4th of March, 2022; the appointment of Engineer’s Representative and Engineer’s Order were all issued vide letters dated the 4th of July, 2022. See pictures attached. But Stephen Odey in his quest for unmerited accolades instructed his ignorant boys to lie blatantly that there was no Engineering Order.
3. Take a look at the Engineering Order. It is a 5.5km road, not 3.8km as claimed by Stephen Odey and his funny media boys. For God’s sake is there no one among those boys that can read and at least do basic research?
4. The date on the award letter is in line with budgetary provisions. The funds will be provided from the intervention funds of 2021, not the annual budget of 2022. Stephen Odey sat for nine months in the Red Chambers, even though illegally, didn’t he learn any of these things?
5. It is this lack of basic understanding of how these things work that has left Stephen Odey under some sort of illusion that he is the one that facilitated the project. Let’s look at some documents in a bid to cure our dear Stephen Odey of this illusion:
a) Please find attached and take a careful look at the letters of request of Senator Jarigbe and that of Stephen Odey, dated 24th March, 2022 and 27th May, 2021, respectively.
b) Also look at the contract award letter. The narration on the award Letter is exactly the narration on Senator Jarigbe’s request letter to the Minister, but different from that of Stephen. Senator Jarigbe asked for rehabilitation of Ogoja-Okuku-Alifokpa Road and that is what is reflected in the award letter, this is not exactly what Stephen Odey asked in his request letter. Res ipsa loquitur.
c) The date on the award letter is in line with budgetary provisions. The funds are from the Intervention Budget of 2021, so it had to be backdated. Those who know how these things work, know this.
d) This explanation wouldn’t have been necessary, except that Stephen Odey is obsessed with donning himself with unmerited accolades, and he seems to have no issues telling lies and twisting facts to do this.
6. In another excellent display of ignorance, they said no advance payment was made. There must not be advanced payment for a job to be done. Come on, is ignorance a criterion to be one of Stephen’s boys?
7. A Deputy Director was sent from the Federal Ministry of Works Headquarters to flag off the Construction. His name is Engr Abang Ejim, from Mbube. See pictures attached of the Federal Controller of Works in Cross River State, on site, handing over officially to the Contractor. Her Progress Report will be submitted to the Headquarters, in Abuja. The Controller was very happy with the speed of work. The Director South South, Engr Godwin Eke is on top of this Project.
8. There is no design drawing for rehabilitation. It is an existing road. It is called special repairs. We forgive their traditional and deliberate ignorance. Our people know the truth.
9. We advise these people to stop these fruitless attempts to compare Stephen Odey with Distinguished Senator Jarigbe. They are not in any competition; it will be infra dig the Distinguished Senator to compete with Stephen, his constituent. Whatever the Senator is doing is for the benefit of all his constituents, including Stephen Odey. Stephen Odey is not a senator, going by the judgment of the Court. The Court ordered the withdrawal of the Certificate of Return which was illegally issued to him. That is to say, he was never a Senator from the onset.
10. Stephen Odey during his illegal occupation of the Senate Seat attracted no project to Cross River North. He does not have the contacts, disposition and the political will to attract projects. The Senate is for urbane minds, not for timid people who grovel to their colleagues. A senator must be selfless, self-assertive and with the resilience to attract meaningful projects.
11. Stephen Odey was an illegal and undignified placeholder senator for 9 months and Senator Jarigbe has been in the Senate for 9 months. Senator Jarigbe has projects in all the wards of the Senatorial District; empowered more than 1000 Constituents; the Bill for the Establishment of a Federal Medical Center, Ogoja, is before the President for assent. Stephen had no achievements in 9 months, outside reading bills on the floor, drafted for him.
12. This bitterness against Senator Jarigbe is misplaced. This bitterness should be directed at Benedict Ayade who used Stephen Odey as a disposable and dumped him. If he truly found Stephen fit to be senator, why didn’t he support Stephen to get the ticket for the 2023 General Elections? In fact, even after all the scheming Stephen Odey did to be appointed the Deputy Governorship Candidate, he was still found not worthy to be given the Deputy Governorship ticket. The annoyance should be directed towards Ayade.
13. We would have advised Stephen to concentrate on SUBEB and make a name for himself, instead of struggling to acquire accolades by lying that he facilitated a road rehabilitation, but, alas, that is also a failed project. They have an opportunity to renovate our schools and build new ones for our children but they have succeeded in fleecing away the resources, leaving our children to study under harsh and dehumanising conditions. In a few days, we will publish the fraud in SUBEB under Stephen Odey’s supervision. We already have loads of petitions before the EFCC.
14. As for the Ogoja-Okuku-Alifokpa Road, the progress of work is already about 1km; the people of Cross River North, across party lines, are happy with their Senator, the beloved Distinguished Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, and they will vote for him again in 2023.
WE KNOW WHERE WE SHOULD JOIN ISSUES AND WE WANT TO APOLOGIZE FOR JOINING ISSUES WITH THESE GUYS. IT WAS JUST TO PUT THE RECORD STRAIGHT.
LET US JOIN HANDS AND BETTER THE LIVES OF OUR PEOPLE. THE DISTRACTION IS UNNECESSARY.
-TEAM JARI MEDIA
