"The current Board members of these sate-owned SPVs are nominal shareholders and directors, who are on the Board for the sole purpose of representing state interests in the SPV," the statement said.
The Enugu State Government has defended its handling of the controversial New Enugu Smart City project, rejecting allegations contained in a SaharaReporters investigation that linked senior government officials to the acquisition and sale of disputed lands through a private company.
The government, however, maintained that the officials merely serve as nominal shareholders and directors in state-owned Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs), while legal provisions and judicial authorities continue to raise questions over the circumstances under which government-acquired land may be transferred for commercial development.
In a rebuttal issued on Wednesday, the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dr. Malachy Agbo, described SaharaReporters' July 14 investigation as "malicious" and accused the newspaper of ignoring facts showing that Coal City Eastern Extension Estate Alliance Ltd and the New Enugu Smart City project were government-backed vehicles established to protect state interests.
The government's response followed SaharaReporters' publication of Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) records, official government correspondence, allocation letters, payment advisories and public notices suggesting that top officials of Governor Peter Mbah's administration occupied key positions in Coal City Eastern Extension Estate Alliance Ltd, a company involved in marketing and allocating plots within the New Enugu Smart City.
