Godswill Akpabio blows hot, names Senators, Reps who got NDDC contracts
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, has listed the names of some members of the National Assembly who were awarded contracts by the Niger Delta Development Commission.
Although, Akpabio, did not assert if the legislators were directly awarded the contracts or were nominated in the projects under their Zonal Intervention Projects, also known as constituency projects.
Read below the letter the minister sent to the National Assembly and released to the public.
“They also included emergency repairs of old Sapele Agbor Road, Obiaruku; emergency repairs of Ehwerhe Obada Road, Agbarho Road; emergency repairs of Hon. Ifeanyi Eboigbe Street, Boji Boji Owa/Goodwill Street, Owa Alero, and emergency repairs of Ahiama Okwu to Obuocha Okwu, among others.
“Also the minister listed (Hon. Nicholas) Mutu’s name against 74 projects which included various emergency road projects in Delta, Akwa Ibom, Bayela, and Rivers states.
“Other lawmakers that Akpabio listed projects against are Senator Matthew Urhoghide (6), James Manager (6), Sam Anyanwu (19), and others simply identified as Ondo and Edo reps.”
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, the President of the Council, Solomon Adodo, said: “Mr. Speaker did not do us justice when he did not disclose to the National Assembly that the list of the beneficiaries he demanded had been disclosed and attached to the letter sent to him.
“Gbajabiamila’s decision to cover up his colleagues is unfair to the fight against corruption, quest for transparency, and to the commonwealth of our nation.
“We, therefore, urge Mr. Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, to resign for covering up for a set of people who had erred and breached the rules of contract.
“All the National Assembly members who benefitted from the contracts without executing them should be prosecuted to serve as deterrent to those who may want to follow a similar path.
“It is a clear case of organised crime to have individuals who benefitted from illegality now rising to probe the fact that their illegality is being exposed.”
He added: “We call on all the anti-graft agencies and security agencies to, in line with the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari, immediately proceed and go ahead with their investigation of the matter.”
The youths said they were firmly in support of the forensic audit instituted by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs because it had exposed those who had benefitted in the corruption that had festered in the NDDC.
In the document displayed by the youths council, Akpabio was quoted as having said that his letter became necessary because “the investigating committee on NDDC refused and/or neglected to give me the opportunity to explain that reference to most NDDC contracts yearly being awarded since 2001 from the records allegedly to members of the National Assembly in both chambers were done without the knowledge of the alleged beneficiaries”.
Akpabio added: “However, the two chairmen of the committees in both chambers had adequate knowledge.”
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