The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio has linked some members of the National Assembly to some contracts awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Akpabio, however, did not state if the lawmakers were directly awarded the contracts or they nominated the projects under their Zonal Intervention Projects, also known as constituency projects.
According to Punch Newspaper, the former Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on the NDDC, Mr Nicholas Mutu, who represents the Bomadi/Patani Federal Constituency of Delta State, is among those linked by the minister with contracts.
.@Senator_Akpabio indicts @nassnigeria members in the @NDDCOnline probe#NDDCfraudFacts #NDDCHearing pic.twitter.com/KkMIxy0jER
— Chronicle NG (@chronicle_ng) July 21, 2020
The minister listed Mutu’s name against 74 projects, including various emergency road projects in Delta, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Rivers states.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had on February 3, 2020, arraigned Mutu before Justice Folashade Giwa-Ogunbanjo of the Federal High Court in Abuja for alleged abuse of office and fraud involving about N320m.
Akpabio name names
Akpabio also linked the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi (Delta-North), with 53 projects, which included emergency repairs of Asue Street, Owa Phase 2; ldumuogbe Road via Ojemaye; Otolokpo College Road, Otolokpo; and the Police lshu Ani Ukwu Road, Issele Uku.
Other lawmakers that Akpabio listed projects against are Senator Matthew Urhoghide (Edo-South), six; James Manager (Delta-South), six; Samuel Anyanwu (Imo-West, 8th Senate), 19; and others simply identified as Ondo and Edo Reps.
The minister, however, did not provide the cost of the projects listed against the lawmakers’ names, while the cost of contracts given to non-lawmakers had costs of various projects attached to them.
Our correspondents also observed that contracts listed against the names of the lawmakers were not up to 60 per cent of the 266 on the list provided by Akpabio.
Also included in the list were non-National Assembly members.
It was further observed that the minister copied the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN).
The House had on Thursday resolved to sue Akpabio for alleged perjury and defamation of the parliament.
Akpabio, while appearing before the House Committee on the NDDC three days earlier alleged that members of the National Assembly were awarded 60 per cent of contracts by the commission.
The former Akwa Ibom governor has also been accused of illegal spending and mismanagement of funds by former IMC MD of NDDC, Ms Joi Nunieh.
