Nigeria’s Minister of State for Industry, John Owan Enoh, has responded to allegations surrounding the Agbokim Waterfall Road project, insisting that claims linking him to the contract are false and defamatory.
In a statement issued following a viral video circulated by social media personality MC Okrika, the former Cross River Central senator described the allegations as “deliberate falsehoods, distortions and malicious claims” aimed at tarnishing his reputation.
Enoh stated that while the deplorable condition of the Agbokim Waterfall Road remains a genuine concern, accusations that he owns or benefits from the contract are entirely untrue. According to him, the road had remained under a Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) contract for years, beginning with an initial award to Jameon Nigeria Ltd around 2009.
The minister explained that he and former Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, had earlier protested the award of the contract due to concerns about the contractor’s competence, but their objections were ignored. He maintained that the eventual deterioration of the road vindicated those concerns.
He further disclosed that after years of pressure and engagement with the NDDC, the failed contract was revoked in late 2024 and re-awarded in four lots to FaithPlant and Rhema for emergency reconstruction works. The contractors reportedly took over the project in January 2025.
Enoh, who flagged off the Ikom-Etomi-Agbokim Waterfalls Road project earlier this year, said the road remains strategically important for tourism, agriculture and economic activities in Cross River State
