Senator Agom Jarigbe faces scrutiny over ₦637m contracts linked to allegedly affiliated company

By Isaac Joseph Inyang

Fresh controversy has emerged around Senator Agom Jarigbe, who represents Cross River North Senatorial District, following reports that a private firm allegedly linked to him received more than ₦637 million in federal government payments for projects executed within his constituency between May 2023 and September 2024.

The company at the centre of the controversy, Janjari Company Limited, was reportedly paid for a series of constituency-related interventions, including the construction and installation of solar-powered street lights in Nkum Ekajuk and other communities in Cross River North, as well as the supply of equipment and emergency materials funded by federal agencies.

According to documents drawn from the federal government’s public spending records and analysed by civil society monitors, the payments were made through multiple ministries and agencies, with the projects implemented in areas falling directly under Senator Jarigbe’s representation. What has intensified public concern is the alleged ownership and control structure of Janjari Company Limited, which reportedly lists several directors, shareholders and a company secretary all bearing the name “Agom Jarigbe.”

Although this does not in itself prove legal ownership by the senator, governance groups say the similarity of names and the firm’s role as project handler in his constituency raise serious questions of potential conflict of interest. Senator Jarigbe is also named in some documents as the project facilitator, a role commonly associated with lawmakers who nominate or attract constituency projects.

Under Nigeria’s Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, public officers are barred from using their positions to award or influence contracts for companies in which they have a personal or beneficial interest. The law is designed to prevent self-dealing and to ensure that public resources are used strictly for public benefit.

The Public Procurement Act further requires that all government contracts follow open, competitive and transparent bidding processes. It is this requirement that has now become central to the controversy, with observers asking whether Janjari Company Limited emerged through such a process or whether its alleged connection to the senator gave it an undue advantage.

Civil society organisations have therefore called on oversight and anti-corruption agencies, including the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, the Bureau of Public Procurement and the Fiscal Responsibility Commission, to conduct a thorough investigation into the contracts, the procurement process, and the true ownership of Janjari Company Limited.

As of the time of filing this report, Senator Agom Jarigbe had not issued an official statement responding to the allegations, and Janjari Company Limited had not publicly clarified its ownership structure or procurement history.

For many residents of Cross River North, the case has become a test of accountability in constituency project implementation. With hundreds of millions of naira involved, transparency over who received the money, how the contracts were awarded, and whether public office was used for private gain is now a matter of national interest.