CALABAR – The integrity of those heading the Cross River State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has been questioned in the last 18 months with lots of allegations coming out.
Since Governor Bassey Otu became governor in 2023, the agency has had three Director Generals with the first being suspended over allegations of misappropriation.
On Monday, Agba Jalingo, a Citizen Journalist known for his investigative reports, dug out cans of worms from SEMA, alleging diversion and misappropriation of palliatives and other relief materials from the agency.
According to Jalingo, “Bags of palliative rice, cartons of spaghetti, cartons of Onga seasoning, cartons of 5-litre groundnut oil and salt, were sent from the Uyo NEMA office to SEMA Office Calabar, on the 18th of December 2024.
“The DG of SEMA kept the rice in their store and did not distribute it till January when he started claiming that, 120 bags of the rice were missing.
“On the 24th of January 2025, the DSS invited the store officer and other SEMA officers and later released them on the 26th of January, 2025, after the DG SEMA called the DSS, to intervene, knowing he is the one that looted the rice himself from the store. He pleaded with the DSS not to proceed with the matter.
“That’s after the store officer had confessed before the DSS that the DG came and carried rice during the holiday and because of that, 3 Officers namely Mr Julius (cashier), Mr Obeten (stores) and Mrs Peace Ibor (procurement), equally saw an opportunity to carry theirs also.
“On Friday, January 31, 2025, another truck of the palliatives was offloaded to the Calabar SEMA. And this time, the DG is keeping the key himself. He wants to share them with the political appointees who are his apparachiks.”
Jalingo who further alleged that the agency is headed by thieves, said, “SEMA in our State has turned to a criminal agency that does not care about the plight of people in emergencies. Everyone they send there as DG or political appointees has been serial thieves who continue to loot what is meant for people in distress. I hope those who have the power will call them to order and discipline the errant officials.”
Cross River SEMA DG Responds
Responding to the allegations made by Jalingo, Antigha Edem Gill, Cross River SEMA Director General (DG) in a statement on Tuesday, said the agency is accountable and not led by unscrupulous individuals.
The statement by Gill reads in full:
“It is crucial to address the sweeping accusations levelled by Agba Jalingo against SEMA, which is currently under my stewardship as the Director General. My assumption of the DG role at SEMA Cross River State commenced on November 7, 2024, and my leadership has consistently upheld accountability and responsibility in executing our designated mandates and duties.
“It is entirely erroneous and unethical for a renowned media professional like Agba Jalingo to pass judgment and disseminate, via his social media platforms, a verdict reached without first hearing from the leadership of SEMA.
“Upon assuming office, the State received a consignment of relief supplies from the Operations office of NEMA in Uyo, which were subsequently stored in our warehouse in Calabar. As customary, every item and material allocated to the state by NEMA is meticulously documented for distribution, and the distribution process is regularly overseen and inaugurated by NEMA officials. In this instance, the supplies received on December 22, 2025, were officially flagged off for distribution, which was duly carried out in January 2025, within a timeframe of three weeks.
“The list of beneficiaries included youth organisations, women’s associations, traditional leaders, among others, including National Assembly members who had specifically requested assistance from NEMA to assist their constituents; Each entity received their due share.
“To ensure transparency, the current administration took measures to compensate the staff and temporary workers involved in the loading and unloading processes, while those who overstepped their boundaries in trying to obtain more without authorisation were appropriately reprimanded. Administrative actions were taken to uphold accountability.
“Any distorted information possibly relayed to you by an aggrieved party of administrative decisions is unfounded. The most prudent and ethical course of action would be to seek clarification from the management directly.
“Since then, SEMA has not received any further consignments from NEMA nor procured any supplies independently. It is worth noting that the SEMA warehouse is occasionally utilised by various government agencies for temporary storage of items and materials. The consignment you mentioned that arrived on January 31, 2025, is a case in point. SEMA Cross River State is unequivocally committed to promptly distributing relief supplies intended for the populace. Notably, the state governor, who espouses a “people first” ethos, would never condone such malpractices.
“Please disregard any insinuations of official misappropriation or malfeasance by the SEMA management as it currently stands. Media practitioners are our allies in fulfilling our duties, akin to the security personnel; hence, we have opted for this refutation without rebuke.”
