…Transparency International Wants Buhari to Investigate allegations of Massive Looting in NDDC
…N|Delta Stakeholders Hail Buhari, Omo-Agege, Sylva, Oshiomhole, Odubu, Okumagba.
…Niger Delta Group Threatens to Expose Ex-Interim Mgt ‘s Massive dirty deals
By The New Diplomat Political Desk
In an alleged desperate bid to cover up the allegations of massive and high-wire multi-billion naira corruption that characterized the operations of the Niger Delta Development Commission(NDDC) during the interim administration of the immediate past acting managing director of the NDDC, Prof Nelson Braimbraifa with Chris Amadi (Executive Director, Finance and Administration) and Samuel Adjogbe(Executive Director, Projects), who were purported lackeys of Minister of Transportation, Rt Hon Rotimi Amaechi, the later is allegedly sponsoring various anti-Buhari groups to obtain various courts proceedings to undermine and work against the nominees of President Muhammadu Buhari to the Board of the NDDC.
High-level presidency sources confided in The New Diplomat yesterday that the presidency is currently monitoring the “actions and activities of a Minister from the Niger Delta region who is unhappy that he has lost out in the political chess game in the Niger Delta after he failed repeatedly to deliver even a single LGA in his home State, is allegedly sponsoring petitions and court cases against the newly named nominees of Mr President to the NDDC Board.”
Miffed by this development coupled with allegations of massive looting in the NDDC by the immediate past management , the Presidency it was gathered, would soon commence a thorough investigations into dozens of petitions against the trio of Braimbraifa, Adjogbe and Amadi. “ The Presidency has all dossiers of emergency contracts scams which they plotted and used to siphon several billions of naira into private pockets. Who was awarded the dubious emergency construction contract of 11|33kv Injection substation and distribution of electricity within Ikwerre (Prestine Lakes Estates) Lot 3) in Ikwerre LGA Rivers State for over Nine hundred million naira (N 999, 769, 569.75) and what is the status? Who was awarded another emergency dubious contract duplication of another emergency construction of 11\33KV injection Sub-station and Distribution of Electricity within Ikwerre(Prestine Lakes Estates) Lot 1) in Ikwerre LGA , Rivers State for the sume of N998,148, 855.90? –About I billion naira! What is its status?” Said an insider who said he has forwarded several documents to key federal agencies for investigations.
The New Diplomat stumbled upon some of the documents. Said the insider: “These three characters allegedly perfected the act of fraudulently awarding emergency contracts to companies serving as fronts to these politicians and their lackeys. One of them came from Delta State and he used the money to even fight APC in national elections in the State because his own ward and unit was won by PDP in the last National Assembly elections. Yet he claimed to be a leader. He sponsored anti-Buhari groups in the State thinking he was fighting Ogboru.”
These unpalatable state of affairs and alleged mess at the NDDC has also drawn reactions from international bodies including Transparency International(TI) which urged President Buhari to go the whole-hog in his fight against corruption, stressing Buhari’s war against corruption is one of the pillars upon which he won his election and should pursue it vigorously by cleaning up the mess in NDDC and similar agencies. Casey Kelso, Advocacy Director for Africa and the Middle East at Transparency International in a telephone chat with The New Diplomat said TI wrote to the President urging him, among other things to remain steadfast in his ant-corruption upon assumption of office, war since that is one of the critical pillars on which he won the Presidency of Nigeria.
In another development, various stakeholders across the constituent states of the Niger Delta region have come up heavily in anger against Amaechi stressing that his alleged underground actions are tactless and incompatible with the realities and unified position of the vast majority of stakeholders and peoples of the Niger Delta region as it relates to Buhari’s nominees to the Board of NDDC.
Coordinating Chairman of the Niger Delta Professionals(NDP) Omeragua Joshua Omonemu restated his earlier position that the Governors of the region and any serving Minister from the region should listen to the voice reason and the voice of the people at the grassroots especially the constituent States of the Niger Delta who have acknowledged that these nominees are “accomplished, passionate and excellent technocrats who have demonstrated competencies, capacities and vision for the Niger Delta region’s overall development, stressing that President Buhari should be commended for nominating these eminent sons and daughters of the Niger Delta region to steer the affairs of the NDDC for the next four years. He said: “ We in the Niger Delta Professionals want to use this forum to commend Mr President for nominating these distinguished sons of the Niger Delta. And we believe that given their tract records of excellence, performance and accomplishments in various previous positions of high responsibilities, they will deliver and take the Niger Delta region to the next level. What we need now is to appreciate the good gesture of Mr President and avoid partisan politics. Without mentioning names or singling out their names one after the other, we should be very proud that we have these solid technocrats as accomplished sons of the Niger Delta region. This is the era of professionalism where technocrats are recognized as opposed to political brigande. ” The NDP’s coordinating chair further called on all stakeholders to remain united with the Federal government’s vision of advancing the accelerated development of the Niger Delta region.
It would be recalled that Chief Akan Akpan of the Niger Delta United for Buhari(NDUB) had lambasted Governor Dickson and his colleagues for what he described as failure to gauge the mood in the Niger Delta region before making reckless and provocative statements that do not represent the true situation of the peoples of the Niger Delta as it relates to the nominees into the Board of the NDDC.”
Chief Akpan who also accused the immediate past acting management of fraudulent contract awards and desperate attempts to effect last minute payments from the coffers of the Commission specifically blamed the Transport Minister for allegedly seeing the NDDC as place meant for his lackeys. Chief Akpan called on all Niger Delta stakeholders to rally round the political leaders of the Niger Delta region stressing that this is the first in decades that the Region has produced the Deputy President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the Person of Distinguished Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and as the undisputed highest political Officer from the Niger Delta, ‘’ there is no doubt that working with other accomplished leaders such as Chief HE Timipreye Sylva, Honorable Minister of State for Petroleum, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, National Chairman of the APC, Chief Godswill Akpabio, Honorable Minister of Niger Delta, and a host of others, the accelerated development of the region is assured”. Chief Akpan commended Omo-Agege, Sylva, Oshiomhole, Akpabio, etc for providing direction and demonstrating excellent leadership on the Niger Delta question within this period. It would be recalled that President Buhari had nominated the following to the Board of the NDDC; Dr Pius Odubu(Edo) Chairman, Chief Bernard Okumagba(Delta) Managing Director, Engr Otobong Ndem(Akwa Ibom) Executive Director, Projects, Maxwell Okoh(Bayelsa) Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Delta Rep Prophet Jones Erue, Edo Rep Chief Victor Ekhatar, Rivers Rep, Dr Joy Nunieh and Abia Rep, Nwogu Nwogu. Others were Bayels Rep. Theordore Allison, Akwa Ibom Rep, Victro Antai, Cross River Rep, Maurice Effiwatt, Ondo Rep, Olugbenga Elema, Imo Rep, Uchegbu Kyrian, Northwest Rep; Aisha Murtal Muhammed(Kano), North East Rep, Ardo Zubairu(Adamawa) and SouthWest Rep, Engr Badmus Mutalab(Lagos).
