The Lumine News

Tag: #Martins Achadu

  • Achadu Denies Double Salary Allegation, Says He Voluntarily Refunded Erroneous Payments to UNICAL

    Achadu Denies Double Salary Allegation, Says He Voluntarily Refunded Erroneous Payments to UNICAL

    By Admin 

    The member representing Yala II State Constituency in the Cross River State House of Assembly, Hon. Dr. Martins Achadu, has denied allegations that he received double salaries as both a serving lawmaker and an employee of the University of Calabar (UNICAL), insisting that the claims are misleading and unsupported by the facts.

    In a press statement issued on Thursday, July 16, 2026, Achadu was responding to a petition reportedly submitted to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) by a group identified as the Global People’s Right and Values Observation Network.

    The lawmaker stated that he resigned from his appointment at the University of Calabar before contesting the 2023 Cross River State House of Assembly election. According to him, he was employed by the university on May 4, 2020, and tendered his resignation on March 25, 2022, after serving for about 20 months without receiving salaries for the period.

    Achadu explained that, despite his resignation, he unexpectedly began receiving salary payments from the university in December 2024, nearly three years after leaving the institution. He said the payments continued until December 2025 due to what he described as an administrative error.

    He said that upon discovering the payments, he immediately notified the university management, requested that the payments be stopped, and asked the institution to provide an account into which he could refund the funds.

    According to Achadu, the university acknowledged his voluntary disclosure and commended him for bringing the issue to its attention.

    “The University appreciates your patriotic disposition and voluntary disclosure of this matter,” he quoted from one of the institution’s correspondences.

    The legislator further stated that the salary payments have since been discontinued and that he has refunded all the money paid into his account, despite the university’s outstanding salary arrears for the 20 months he served before resigning.

    He also disclosed that the University of Calabar has issued him a clearance confirming that his resignation took effect on March 25, 2022.

    Achadu urged his constituents and the general public to disregard the allegations contained in the petition, describing them as an attempt to tarnish his reputation. He added that relevant correspondences exchanged between him and the University of Calabar have been made available to support his position.

  • Why I Floated Educational Support Grant Initiative in Yala II State Constituency – Achadu

     

    Ugo Solomon, Calabar

    Honourable Dr Martins Achadu, the House Committee Chairman on Education and the member representing Yala II State Constituency in the Cross River State House of Assembly has advanced reasons for floating an Educational Support Grant Empowerment Scheme for constituents.

    Flanked by his colleagues; Hon Samuel Neji Abeng the Minority Leader and member Ikom 1 as well as Hon Kingsley Ntui: member Etung and Chairman committee on water resources during the presentation of cash gifts to beneficiaries at the Assembly Complex yesterday in Calabar, Dr Achadu who had lectured at the University of Calabar said the initiative was propelled by an understanding that education can bring community development across Ukelle .

    “If communities must develop, you start with education especially in professional courses. We are doing this to ensure that people are not just encouraged only by words of mouth but financially too”.

    According to Dr Achadu whose benevolence is a watershed in the history of representation in the constituency opined that the financial support kick-starts the first phase of his benevolence to the community and had chosen to focus on the PhDs and those in special courses such as Medicine and Law.

    ” It is a drive to push those who have pushed further to even have a master’s degree and I have indicated interest in supporting their Doctoral Programmes especially sharing my philosophy with them just to encourage them so that they would know that someone is also praying for them”.

    Refuting insinuations about possible political undertone of his Educational Support Grant Empowerment, he emphasised that “the foundation of what I am doing is not for any political goal otherwise I would not go for the PhDs that are few, I would have gone for secondary schools and other areas”.

    “My reason is that when you have a PhD, it opens you up to endless opportunities and added you a unique intelligent quotient to reason in a perspective that can bring solutions to societal problems.This also helps in ensuring adequate contribution to the development of Ukelle.

    ” The second phase would focus on master’s degree students and my decision to encourage law and medicine students in the first phase is that Ukelle is academically disadvantaged and our people rarely get admission into these special programmes.However, we are consciously taking steps to address the challenge by interfacing with key stakeholders because there is always a quota for university admission and the competition is stringent. Consciously,we are making efforts that our students are adequately prepared to beat the competition”.

    In an earlier address by the Committee that articulated the success of Dr Achadu’s Educational Support Grant Empowerment Scheme comprising Dr Innocent Chigbe, Mr Pius Udeh and Ebri. The committee described those in attendance as just an extract because other beneficiaries are scattered all over the country some beneficiaries where selected from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, University of Benin and University of Ibadan.

    Specifically, Dr Innocent Chigbe stated that yesterday’s presentation was “just a test run and the real ceremony would be at the village where empowerment would take place for excellent indigent students billed for Ukelle”

    The committee affirmed that it is a combination of PhD students and those reading special courses like; Medicine and law are being encouraged through financial support in their academic pursuit by the member representing Yala II state Constituency.

    While reacting to the succour given to them, some of the beneficiaries eulogised Dr Achadu’s resilience and passion towards tackling the development of constituents through education. Other Cross Riverians have taken turns on social media to commend Honourable Achadu who has kept a famous pact with the Ukelle people through a meticulous approach to leadership have rode on a popular mandate elected by the people in admiration of his sterling qualities.

     

  • Breaking: Federal High Court Calabar Prevents INEC From Recognizing Cynthia Nkashi As APC Candidate To Contest Yala 2 State Constituency Election

     

    The Federal High Court, Calabar, has entered judgment in favour Dr Martins Achadu and  the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), granting among others:

    AN ORDER nullifying the publication of the name of Cynthia Nkasi, by INEC, done on the 22nd of July, 2022, Cynthia Nkasi having not emerged the candidate of the APC by due process of law to contest with the Plaintiffs for the Cross River State House of Assembly, Yala II Constituency in the 2023 General Elections.

    AN ORDER directing INEC not to accept, recognize or include Cynthia Nkasi as the candidate of the APC to contest with the Plaintiffs for the Cross River State House of Assembly, Yala II Constituency in the 2023 General Elections.

    F. Baba Isa, Esq.
    FBI LEGAL