- As House Threatens Legal Action Against Minister
By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has denied accusing members of the National Assembly of getting 60 percent of the projects awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Akpabio made this known in a letter he sent to the House of Representatives and read by the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila on the floor of the House on Thursday.
The New Diplomat had reported how, while being probed on Monday, Akpabio had said 60% of the developmental projects were awarded to the lawmakers.
Read also: NDDC Probe: Akpabio Faces Fresh Fire on Contracts Allegations
A statement which threw the house into a momentarily rowdiness.
The statement even caused an exchange of words between the Minister and Hon. Boman Good head who dared Akpabio to name names.
Boman, from Rivers state, even asked the minister if as a member of the 8th assembly he was awarded contracts too.
The New Diplomat had also reported how the unsubstantiated statement caused the Speaker of the House of Reps on Tuesday to ask the Minister to publish the names of lawmakers who get contracts from the NDDC.
The House of Reps gave Akpabio just 48 hours to substantiate his claim failure of which legal action which taken against him. The ultimatum elapsed Thursday.
But on Thursday the minister said he only mentioned 60 percent once in response to a question posed by a member of the House Adhoc Committee on NDDC during a hearing in which he made a presentation earlier in the week.
He said the question bordered on whether a Medical Director of the intervention agency could serve as the Executive Director, Project.
Read also: Fire NDDC IMC Immediately, Senate Tells Buhari, Submits Probe Report
In the letter, Akpabio said he answered in the affirmative and added that since 50 to 60 percent of NDDC contracts were medical-related, there was nothing stopping the Medical Director from filling the role of Executive Director, Project.
“As to the reference to 60 per cent of contracts, the investigative committee refused and neglected to give me the opportunity to explain that; I was responding to a question by a member of the committee
“Permit me to explain that any reference to 60 per cent during the investigative hearing was in answer to a question by a member of the committee as to whether or not, a medical doctor could act as Executive Director project which I answered in affirmative.
“That the greatest project in the world today is COVID-19, which is medical in nature; furthermore, I am made to understand that 60 per cent of NDDC yearly budget is medical in nature, therefore is better for a medical doctor to serve as the Executive Director Projects,” the letter read.
Meanwhile, the speaker of the house, Femi Gbajabiamila, has directed the clerk of the house to start considering the possibility of instituting a legal case bordering on perjury(lying under oath) against the Akpabio.
