Fresh questions have emerged over the award of public projects in Cross River North Senatorial District following revelations linking Senator Agom Jarigbe to a company that received hundreds of millions of naira in government payments.
Data obtained from GovSpend, a public expenditure tracking platform, shows that between May 2023 and September 2024, a total of ₦637.2 million was paid to Janjari Company Limited for the execution of public projects, including the construction of solar street lights in Nkum Ekajuk and other communities in Cross River North, the same senatorial district represented by Senator Jarigbe.
The payments were made through several government agencies, including the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGs (OSSAP-MDGs), the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, and the Federal Cooperative College, Oji River, according to the records published on GovSpend.
Civil society organisation Tracka, which monitors government projects and spending, raised concerns over the payments in a statement shared on its Facebook page. Tracka alleged that Janjari Company Limited is affiliated with Senator Agom Jarigbe, who it described as the project facilitator.
“From May 2023 to September 2024, ₦637.2 million was paid to Janjari Company Limited for projects within the same senatorial district Senator Agom Jarigbe represents,” Tracka stated.
Corporate records obtained from NG-Check, and cited by Tracka, show that the company’s directors, shareholders, and secretary all bear the name ‘Agom Jarigbe.’ The organisation said this raises concerns about possible conflict of interest in the award of the contracts.
“Investigations have shown that Janjari Company Limited is a company affiliated with Senator Agom Jarigbe,” Tracka said, adding that the company has “three directors, five shareholders, and one secretary, all sharing the Agom Jarigbe name.”
Tracka also referenced provisions of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, which prohibits public officers from using their positions to secure contracts for themselves or their close family members.
“The law clearly forbids public officers from using their office to benefit themselves or their relatives through public contracts,” the organisation noted.
Based on these findings, questions have been raised about whether the projects were awarded through due procurement process, and whether a company allegedly linked to a serving senator should handle projects located in his own constituency.
Tracka called on relevant oversight institutions to intervene. “We call on the ICPC, the Fiscal Responsibility Commission, and the Bureau of Public Procurement to investigate this matter and ensure transparency in public procurement,” the group said.
As of the time of filing this report, Senator Agom Jarigbe has not issued any public response to the allegations. Efforts to obtain comments from the senator and Janjari Company Limited were unsuccessful.