The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday made fresh revelations over the allegations of financial recklessness rocking the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Chief Godswill Akpabio was alleged to have used his office while serving as Senate Minority Leader in the Senate to include projects purportedly in Enugu State, a state outside the nine lawfully designated states that make up the focus mandate of the NDDC.
In a letter allegedly written by Senator Akpabio as a PDP Senator and Minority Leader in the Senate at the time, the Minister allegedly breached the Law setting up NDDC by reportedly stripping the NDDC of funds meant for its development in the Niger Delta region and channeling same to the South-East state of Enugu, a state that is legally and totally outside the purview of the NDDC. The project in question is said to be hostel in Enugu state. It is not clear why Akpabio would do so.
Dr Simon Adeyemi, a development expert said: ” If that truly happened, then its most tragic. Why would someone take money meant for the Niger Delta region and put it in a hostel project in Igboland? Is Enugu state part of the Niger Delta? It is like, take money from Odua Investment or the North East Development Commission and you divert that funds to South-East. That is illegal and a serious breach of the Law.”
Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, PDP, Delta North who revealed the breach to the NDDC Act on Wednesday hinted that the project was among the five projects added to the NDDC budget in 2017, with the contract awarded to Akpabio, a former Senate Minority leader up to the tune of N500 million by the NDDC.
Though the projects have not been executed, already they have been cash-backed, Nwaoboshi noted while making the revelation to journalists.
The purported project in Enugu –Renovation of one hostel facility at the University of Nsukka, Nsukka Campus — alleged to have been awarded at the cost of N50 million was in flagrant breach of the Act setting up the NDDC as Enugu is not a Niger Delta state to merit or necessitate benefiting from any NDDC funds or budgets.
Senator Nwaoboshi who represents Delta North (PDP) alleged that “in a letter dated August 7, 2017, addressed to the Chairman, Senate Committee on NDDC, Akpabio requested that five projects worth N500 million be added to the budget.
“Akpabio as Minority Leader of the Senate then used his office to include projects not budgeted for in the Appropriation bill.”
The projects as stated in the letter, include, fencing the Federal Polytechnic Ukana, Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District at the cost of N200 million.
Others are the fencing of Federal Government College, Ikot Ekpene (Old site) Akwa North-West Senatorial District; Entrepreneurship training on the use of modern farming implement- Youths in Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District at the cost of N75 million.
“Entrepreneurship training on the use of modern farming implement- Women in Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District at the cost of N75 million. Renovation of one hostel facility at the University of Nsukka, Nsukka Campus at the cost of N50 million.
“Findings show that while there was no physical evidence of implementation of these projects, checks show contracts were awarded and fully paid for. Such practices have turned the region to sites of abandoned projects,” Nwaoboshi revealed.
The documents further revealed that similar contracts collections without execution were allegedly carried out on NDDC by Akpabio in 2016 and in 2018.
Recall that the Senate had on May 5, set up a six-member Ad-hoc Committee to probe into alleged financial recklessness to the tune of N40 billion by the Interim Management Committee of the NDDC.
The Ad-hoc Committee, which has Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi as Chairman, has been mandated to probe all issues relating to the alleged misapplication and misappropriation of funds at the Commission including the sum of N40 billion allegedly mismanaged by the IMC.
The probe panel is expected to report back at plenary in four weeks.
